Delhi Pollution Debate Reignites For India Open

Months before its arrival, Delhi winter’s notoriously grim air quality and high pollution is making international headlines again. Danish badminton player Anders Antonsen, the World No 4, who is currently playing at the BWF World Championships in the Capital, has openly urged the Badminton World Federation to reconsider the timing and location of the India Open, traditionally held in Delhi during January-February.Antonsen, who withdrew from the 2026 India Open and paid a fine of $5,000 (approx ₹4.7 lakh) for the third consecutive year, has said during the championship at the Indira Gandhi Arena that he would rather pay another fine than play in Delhi’s hazardous air, calling the pollution a serious health hazard and hindrance. Antonsen’s comment has drawn mixed reactions from former players and coaches. We reached out to the Federation but they refused to make a comment.Backing the player’s callFormer India international shuttler Jagdish Yadav says these issues bring down the quality of the sport in our country. “Due to pollution, a lot of players do not like to come to India, and that means our players don’t get to compete with the best of the best,” he says, adding, “In the current world of social media, these issues get highlighted and bring disrepute to the country. There is plenty of infrastructure in India where they can host the tournament when Delhi is not suitable. Surat has a big stadium; Guwahati, Hyderabad, Bengaluru. There are no issues with accommodation or food facility either; they just don’t want to do it.”Echoing his sentiments, Harendra Malik, who runs a badminton academy in Sonipat, says, “Foreign players who are coming from countries that have AQI in the 10s can’t be put in such damaging AQI, and you expect them to be okay with it.”Concern or overreaction?However, not everyone agrees that a flagship event should be uprooted over individual pushback. Former national-level player, Pradeep Aarya, opines: “India Open is a premier competition in the BWF calendar and cannot just be shifted because of one player. Changing the dates means that you will have to adjust the schedule of other tournaments too. There are plenty of stakeholders involved who must have a say in this matter... Yes, it’s a genuine concern that there is high air pollution in those months in Delhi. But it’s a bit of an overreaction from this one player.”