“Dirt everywhere” - Danish shuttler Mia Blichfeldt criticizes ‘bad’ conditions at India Open 2025; BAI responds

Danish shuttler Mia Blichfeldt has voiced strong criticism of the playing conditions at the India Open 2025, calling them “unhealthy and unacceptable.” The tournament, held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, has come under fire for poor infrastructure and pollution levels that the player says adversely impacted her health and performance.

The world number 23 suffered a stomach infection during the event but fought her way to the second round, only to be defeated 21-13, 16-21, 8-21 by China’s Wang Zhi Yi. In a scathing social media post after her exit, Blichfeldt expressed frustration over the conditions at the venue and lamented falling ill for the second consecutive year at the tournament.

Taking to Instagram on Saturday, January 18, Blichfeldt detailed her ordeal and blasted both the venue and the overall environment in New Delhi.

“Finally home after a long and stressful week in India. It’s 2 years in a row now that I get sick during India Open. It’s really hard to accept that many weeks of work and preparing gets wasted because of bad conditions. It’s not fair to anyone that we have to train and play in smog, birds shitting on the courts and dirt everywhere. These conditions are to unhealthy and unacceptable,” she wrote.

Despite her illness, Mia Blichfeldt acknowledged her effort to perform at her best:

“@bwf.official I’m happy that I managed to go on court and win my first round and still play a good match in second round, but I’m fare from satisfied.”

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Badminton Association of India’s response to Mia Blichfeldt’s complaint

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) acknowledged the issues raised by Mia Blichfeldt but attributed the challenges to limited preparation time. According to BAI Secretary Sanjay Mishra, the association gained access to the venue just four days before the event, making it difficult to ensure optimal conditions.

“As the host and staging authority for the Yonex Sunrise India Open, the Badminton Association of India gains access to the stadium and its infrastructure only four days before the event, which poses significant logistical challenges,” Mishra said in a statement on Saturday.

To address these concerns, Mishra revealed that BAI is exploring alternative venues for future editions of the tournament.

“We are already in discussions with the BWF to explore alternative venues and are actively evaluating the infrastructure options,” he added.