Furore After Pigeon Droppings, Monkeys At Delhi's Badminton Venue; Global Badminton Star Walks Out

The India Open Super 750 is currently underway; however, things have not turned out smoothly as the playing conditions of the courts came under grave scrutiny, with the tournament even being moved from the KD Jadhav Hall in New Delhi to the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt, the current World no. 20, claimed that the conditions were 'unhealthy' for players and urged the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to step in and look into the matter as the World Championships are scheduled to be held at the same venues.

Amid these claims, another bizarre thing was spotted at the IG Indoor Stadium on January 14, 2026. Photos and videos of a monkey being present at the indoor stadium emerged on the internet. The monkey could be seen sitting in the stands, which were not far from where the action was going on.

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Monkeys Spotted While Pigeon Droppings Halt Ongoing Match

As per a report by the Indian Express, the monkey was promptly removed after being spotted. The authorities claimed that, as it was a bit dark, it was hard to spot the monkey, but once it was spotted, it was removed from the arena immediately.

Meanwhile, Korean men’s doubles player Kang Min Hyuk also shared a video where another monkey was spotted roaming around the KD Jadhav Indoor hall, which is the designated training centre for players participating in the tournament. The Korean player wrote in his Instagram story, "Are animals (given) free admission?"

On the other hand, the match between HS Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew had to be paused twice due to bird droppings falling from the stadium's ceilings. While it was unclear at first why the play was being stopped twice, it was later informed that, due to bird droppings from the ceiling onto the court, it had to be cleared occasionally to continue playing properly.

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Global Star Anders Antonsen Pulls Out Of India Open

Denmark's men's singles player, Anders Antonsen, shared that he had been fined $5000 by the Badminton World Federation for pulling out of the India Open. The Danish player stated in his Instagram story that he had refused to travel to Delhi due to its extreme pollution and even claimed that the place is not suitable to host a badminton tournament.