Do not shoot the messenger

Anders Antonsen stated the obvious. Delhi’s poor air has caught the world’s attention

Danish shuttler and world number 3, Anders Antonsen, has served a wake-up call to Indian authorities about what the future could become if Delhi’s air pollution goes unchecked. Antonsen withdrew from the ongoing India Open after citing “extreme pollution” in the city. “I don’t think it is a place to host a badminton tournament,” Antonsen, a four-time World Championship medal-winner, said. Badminton federation officials can fret over the shuttler’s brutal but honest assessment of the city air and slap a $5,000 fine on him, but Antonsen is not the first to complain about the less-than-ideal conditions for playing sports in the national Capital, and he is unlikely to be the last.

Pollution in Delhi has ceased to be a domestic issue; it now threatens India’s international reputation. (HT Photo)

In December 2017, an India-Sri Lanka cricket Test in New Delhi was interrupted multiple times after Sri Lankan players complained about breathlessness due to pollution. An India versus South Africa T20 match scheduled on December 17 in Lucknow was abandoned due to smog. The Commission for Air Quality Management recently wrote to the Delhi and NCR state governments to halt outdoor physical sports activities in schools due to poor air quality. The fact is that winter in northern India has become synonymous with poor air, smog, low visibility, and pollution-related ailments. As per the Sameer app, between November 1, 2025 and January 14 2026, Delhi logged a total of 53 “very poor” air days, eight “severe” air days and 14 “poor” air days.The Supreme Court’s scathing remarks underline a public health emergency that city residents, having few other choices, are forced to bear with. It is preposterous to expect visitors to accept the situation as a fait accompli.

Where does this leave Delhi and NCR? Antonsen’s action may have a cascading effect on Delhi’s sporting calendar: The city may lose out on marquee events until pollution subsides. Venues in southern, western, or eastern India, which offer relatively better air, especially in winter, could be asked to host them. (The Central Pollution Control Board in December found that seven of the 10 most polluted cities in India were located in NCR.) Pollution in Delhi has ceased to be a domestic issue; it now threatens India’s international reputation. And over time, it will reduce Delhi-NCR’s appeal as a place to live and work. Breathable air needs to be viewed through the prism of the right to life, and its absence considered as life-threatening. Maybe the people who run the Capital will listen to the voice of a visitor over that of long-suffering citizens.