India Open 2026 Hit By Unusual Bird Droppings Incident During HS Prannoy Vs Loh Kean Yew Match

The India Open 2026 was hit by another unusual controversy on Thursday after play was interrupted twice due to what officials later identified as bird droppings falling onto the court during a high-profile men’s singles match. The incident occurred during the second-round clash between India’s HS Prannoy and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, further compounding organisational concerns surrounding the tournament. The match was halted for the first time when Prannoy was leading 16-14 in the opening game. Officials stopped play on Court 1, the main television court, after noticing foreign matter on the playing surface. The interruption occurred again early in the deciding game, with Prannoy holding a 1-0 lead, forcing tournament staff to briefly enter the court and clean the affected area. While the stoppages were short, they caused confusion among spectators and broadcasters before the reason became clear. India Open badminton match between Loh Kean Yew and HS Prannoy halted at 16-14 in the first game after bird poop lands on court at Indira Gandhi stadium. Match was halted for the same reason in game 3. 2 days ago BAI had stated that pigeons were only there in practise court. pic.twitter.com/SFlqsEHiRG - jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) January 15, 2026 After the match, which Prannoy eventually lost in three games, the Indian shuttler indicated that the interruptions were caused by bird droppings falling from the ceiling. He suggested that the unexpected nature of the stoppages disrupted the flow of play but did not dwell extensively on the issue. Loh, a former world champion, refrained from directly addressing the incident but spoke broadly about how environmental conditions in New Delhi were affecting players’ stamina and health, noting that breathing difficulties and poor air quality had taken a visible toll. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) later released a detailed statement acknowledging the concerns raised by players and teams during the tournament. The federation said it had actively engaged with stakeholders to review conditions at the venue and emphasised that both positive and critical feedback was being taken seriously. BWF explained that seasonal challenges, including haze, cold weather and air quality issues, had posed difficulties during the week but maintained that the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex represented a significant upgrade over previous venues. The governing body also acknowledged that certain operational areas, including cleanliness, hygiene and animal control, required attention. According to BWF, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) acted quickly to address these concerns, while players had noted improvements in facilities such as the playing surface, flooring, gymnasium and medical support. The federation added that insights from the current event would help guide further upgrades ahead of the BWF World Championships, scheduled to be held at the same venue later this year. Former India coach Vimal Kumar, who was present in the stands, downplayed the seriousness of the incident, describing the stoppages as brief and not a major issue. However, he also pointed out that stadium maintenance and cleanliness, including basic facilities, remain recurring problems at many...

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