The Badminton World Federation on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the extensive renovation and cleaning work carried out at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium ahead of the World Championships, saying most of the shortcomings highlighted after the India Open earlier this year have been addressed.
The venue had come under sharp criticism during the India Open Super 750 tournament in January after players and officials complained about poor hygiene, unclean toilets and the presence of pigeons and monkeys inside the complex.
BWF Events Director (Tournament Operations) Selvaamresh Supramaniam said the world body had conducted multiple inspections over the last seven months and found significant improvements.
“We visited the stadium in January, February, April, June and then in the last couple of days. A lot of work has been done,” Supramaniam said.
“Renovations to all the toilets, there’s been a lot of deep cleaning done, damaged seats have been replaced, a lot of sealing, wiring work has been done, broken ceilings have been replaced and waterproofing was done on the roof.”
He said an anti-pest gel has been applied on the roof beams to prevent birds from perching inside the arena.
“They’ve finished putting gel on the roof. This gel prevents birds from sitting or perching on the beams, similar to what you’ll find near airports.”
Supramaniam said the venue was in far better shape than it was during the India Open, though cleaning would continue until the tournament begins on August 17.
“We are happy, but we still need to keep checking for the next few days on the cleaning that’s being done. Understandably, there’ll be a lot of workmen going in and out. And with rain, it is bound to get dirty. We just need to keep doing the cleaning.”
Addressing concerns over stray animals and birds at the venue, he said the situation had improved considerably.
“The last three days that I’ve been there, I’ve not seen any pigeons. I don’t know whether that’s because there are a lot of people or the gel is actually doing its job. I’ve not seen any monkeys as well.”
He added that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) had also taken steps to remove stray dogs from the complex.
“From what I heard, they rounded up almost 60-odd dogs and they were sent away. There are still some, but they are confident they’ll be able to round them up as well.”
Supramaniam also said efforts are being made to improve the tournament presentation, particularly the lighting, after it came in for criticism during the India Open.
“The lighting, if you remember, during India Open was below expectations. We are working on it. BAI agreed to bring in consultants from Indonesia, who have worked on the Indonesia Open and Indonesia Masters.”
He, however, stressed that the priority remained ensuring a smooth competition.
“Our main focus still is to deliver a tournament that’s free from any problems. Competition comes first. The rest is all show.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)
