India Open: Danish shuttler slams IGI conditions

NEW DELHI: In a severe indictment of the playing conditions at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium — venue for the India Open Super 750 — Danish world No. 20 shuttler Mia Blichfeldt on Tuesday described them as “dirty”, “unhealthy” and “not normal”.Blichfeldt also warned that player safety is being compromised months before the World Championships are due to be staged at the same venue. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) moved the tournament this year from the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall to the larger IGI Stadium, positioning the relocation as a major upgrade and a preparatory step for hosting the World Championships in August — India’s first in 17 years. But Blichfeldt’s assessment was blunt.“Little has changed, except for the size of the building,” she told TOI, “I actually hoped it was going to be better than the other hall. But it’s still very dirty and really unhealthy for the players.” The Danish shuttler said the cold and unhygienic environment actively undermines proper preparation and heightens the risk of injury. “Everyone is warming up in two layers of pants, winter jackets, gloves and hats,” she said. “It’s not good warm-up preparations for a player who has to go on court and move fast and go in splits,” she added.Mia’s concerns were echoed by Canada’s Michelle Li, who said the cold inside the stadium made it difficult to prepare properly. “It felt very cold and it was hard to warm up,” Li said.Former world champion Ratchanok Intanon called for immediate fixes. “We need something like heaters,” Intanon said. “When we want to be ready on court, our bodies need to be very warm. Right now, it’s still very cold. I don’t know how the weather will be during the World Championships, but I really hope we get a much warmer place.”Reacting on the issue, BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra said, “Mia’s comments were made in a broader context around general playing conditions and personal health sensitivities. She has clearly stated that the competition venue itself is well maintained. As mentioned in her conversation regarding the warm-up area, it is important to note that she was referring to the KD Jadhav Stadium which serves as the training venue and not the main playing arena.” he added.