Several foreign badminton players took to social media to complain about and criticise the unhygienic conditions of the courts at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow, which is the venue for the Syed Modi International 2023.
The BWF World Tour Super 300 tournament is slated to start from 28 November here. This tournament is the thirtieth of the World Tour, and will be the final event before the World Tour Finals, which is to be held in China this December.
Singapore's Wei Han Jessica Tan, who was the 2022 Commonwealth Games mixed doubles champion, took to Instagram to post a picture that showed birds flying inside the court.
She also said that the hall was unhealthy to train in due to the presence of dust.
Danish men's doubles player Frederik Soegard also posted a story on Instagram which displayed the presence of quite a few bird droppings on the courts.
This will turn out to be quite embarrassing for the sports ministry as well as the government of Uttar Pradesh.
The Uttar Pradesh Badminton Association, under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India (BAI), is organising the tournament.
Kidambi Srikanth to lead India's challenge at the Syed Modi International
It is worth noting that India's HS Prannoy and Lakshay Sen had earlier pulled out of the tournament owing to the hectic schedule of the World Tour.
Kidambi Srikanth, seeded sixth, will lead India's challenge at the Syed Modi International.
Srikanth has won the title in the past, as have the likes of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu.
Spain's Carolina Marin also features in the hall of fame. Current Indian doubles coach Mathias Boe, of Denmark, also won the title during his playing career.