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Bird poop halts HS Prannoy’s India Open match, one day after monkey invades stand; organisers left red-faced
Prannoy's match was interrupted briefly on two occasions, but adds to a long list of woes for the Delhi tournament.
The BWF Indian Open in New Delhi has already faced plenty of controversy and challenges in the early days of the tournament, and things did not get any easier for the organisers as a headline match between home favourite H S Prannoy and former World Champion Loh Kean Yew was interrupted for the oddest of reasons – a bird defecating on the court and requiring a mid-match clean-up.
To make matters worse, the same incident occurred twice in quick succession – at a crucial juncture in the first game with Prannoy leading 16-14, and then again at the beginning of the third game. With this match taking place on Court 1, it was an added embarrassment to a tournament that has already suffered from ignominy, just three days into the event.
The bird incident follows on from when television cameras spotted a monkey in the stands of the Indira Gandhi Arena, an indoor stadium which has fallen into a level of disrepute following these incidents. While these logistical level issues are big concerns for Indian badminton’s hopes of growing its stature on the world stage, a bigger problem has proven to be the conditions with the pollution in Delhi-NCR playing a big factor for many overseas athletes.
Conditions of tournament hammered
Yes himself commented on the pollution, following Anderson Anyone's withdrawal from the tournament citing health concerns.
Indian badminton coach Vimal Kumar was cited by PTI as saying of the situation: “One thing is, we organise such big events, why can't we have good toilet facilities? Stadium maintenance is very important. It is not the job of the Badminton Association of India or organisers.”
Prannoy proceeded to lose to Yew in three sets after winning the first game. The Singapore player bounced back to win the third game 21-14, clearly not too hassled by the brief delay the bird droppings caused themselves.
With pollution, weather, stadium condition, and now wildlife spottings all playing a role, the Badminton Association will be hoping things start operating more smoothly heading into the business end of the tournament – but for now, a lot of work to do to cover up the damages of this situation on the reputation of the tournament.
