Officials at the Yonex Sunrise India Open were left red-faced on Thursday after the men’s singles match between H.S. Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew was interrupted twice when bird excrement landed in the playing area, forcing officials to halt play and summon cleaning staff.
The first stoppage came with Prannoy serving at 16-14 in the opening game. As the referee called for the surface to be cleaned, former world champion Loh looked up towards the ceiling of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, seemingly trying to identify the culprit.
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The episode was repeated in the third game, this time with Yew serving at 1-0. After the debris was cleared, play resumed, with the Singaporean eventually winning 21-18, 19-21, 21-14.
Incidentally, this was not the first time play at the India Open has been halted because of a bird defecating on court. Last year, a women’s doubles match featuring Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan against Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto was stopped for the same reason.
That incident occurred at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, a smaller facility within the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. This year’s tournament, however, is being held at the main stadium of the complex and is being treated as a test event for the World Championships, scheduled to be staged at the same venue in August.
The stoppages marked the latest in a series of embarrassing moments for organisers at the World Tour 750 event, which has made headlines for reasons off the court. Players have complained about poor hygiene and air quality, with Yew alluding to the latter after his match.
“Everyone’s stamina just dropped like two levels. The weather is not good. My health dropped quite a bit. I breathe less. I wear my mask when I can. I stay indoors as much as possible, but that’s the only thing that I can do,” he told reporters.
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Earlier, World No. 3 Anders Antonsen had withdrawn from the tournament citing Delhi’s poor air quality.
“Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi… I don’t think it’s a place to host a badminton tournament,” Antonsen had posted a day ago.
Fellow Dane Mia Blichfeldt was the first to raise concerns.
“I think the floors are dirty. There is a lot of dirt on the courts. There’s bird excrement. There are birds flying around in the arena,” the 28-year-old, ranked 20th in the world, said after her opening-round match.
Blichfeldt’s remarks were later refuted by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), which said the Danish player was referring to conditions at the practice courts at the KD Jadhav Hall and not the main stadium where the competition was being held.
“The playing arena has been kept clean, dirt-free and pigeon-free, and several players have expressed satisfaction with the conditions at the venue,” the BAI said in a statement.
However, the incidents on court on Thursday undermined that assertion.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF), meanwhile, acknowledged the concerns raised by players and the subsequent media coverage.
“We also acknowledge the comments shared by players and the subsequent media coverage,” the statement read, adding that “some areas … including general cleanliness and hygiene plus animal control have required attention…”
The BWF said the feedback would be taken into account as India prepares to host the World Championships at the same venue in August.
“Insights gathered this week will guide further upgrades to deliver a world-class experience in August, where the seasonal issues are not expected being as severe,” the statement read.
Published on Jan 15, 2026
