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‘Everyone’s stamina drops two levels’, former World Champion Loh Kean Yew takes cheeky dig at Delhi weather

The tournament is being hosted in a new playing arena and both shuttlers, Loh Kean Yew and HS Prannoy, face difficulty while trying to control the shuttle.

2 min readJan 15, 2026 07:55 PM IST

FILE: Former badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew in action. (PHOTO: AP)

Former World champion Loh Kean Yew took a hilarious dig on the Delhi weather after defeating HS Prannoy in the pre-quarterfinal of the India Open Super 750 on Thursday.

When asked the reason behind his good record in India, Loh cheekily said,” I don’t know, probably the weather here. Everyone’s stamina drops like two levels in these conditions with the haze going on.”

“I was good in Malaysia but my health has dropped a bit after landing here,” he added further.

Loh played out a three-game thriller against local favourite Prannoy, winning 18-21, 21-19, 21-14.

“I breathe less here and use a mask whenever I go out. Other than that, I try to stay indoor as much as possible. But there is nothing I can do,” Loh said when asked how he adapts to this weather.

He questioned how the media is managing to stay in such conditions

The tournament is being hosted in a new playing arena and both shuttlers face difficulty while trying to control the shuttle.

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“There was definitely drift on the court. But it was same for both of us. Both of us tried to adapt to conditions,” said Loh about the game.

Danish men’s singles shuttler Anders Antonsen had also criticised the India Open for being held in Delhi in January in ‘extreme pollution’ , citing that as the reason for his withdrawal.

Bird-droppings on court

The tournament has been surrounded by controversies and in the latest addition to that list, the match between Loh Kean Yew and HS Prannoy was halted due to bird droppings falling on the court.

It was paused twice, first towards the end of the opening game and then at the start of the third game, due to bird droppings falling from the top of the stadium ceiling.

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While it wasn’t clear during the match why the chair umpire had his arm up to call for the tournament referee and another official came on court to wipe, the Indian later said in the mixed zone, ‘it was bird shit that kind of halted the game.’