As the BWF World Championships got underway at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Monday, organisers were determined to avoid a repeat of January’s India Open embarrassment. Then, pigeon droppings interrupted play and a monkey wandered into the venue. This time, the stadium has undergone deep cleaning, anti-pest gel has been applied along roof beams to deter pigeons and, most unusually, three men have been hired to mimic langur calls to scare away rhesus monkeys.
“Monkeys are absolutely terrified of langurs, which is why mimicking is so effective. We replicate the warning call of a langur and that has the monkeys run away,” says Zafar, one of the mimics. The measures had already made headlines before the tournament began. Now, with the Worlds underway, we speak to players about these quirky fixes. They say the difference from January is visible, with the arena cleaner, better managed and, crucially, free of the birds and monkeys that had dominated conversation around the venue. Paris Olympian Tanisha Crasto, one of India’s leading mixed-doubles players, is amused by Delhi’s quirky fixes: “We [players] have heard about it. It’s been all over the news about the people for the monkeys and about the pigeons. We’ve never seen this kind of thing in any other tournament, but it’s really fascinating to see the quirkiness. Not seeing the birds and monkeys is something that really, really caught our eye.”
Thomas Cup winner Dhruv Kapila, who partners Crasto in mixed doubles, says the transformation from January is evident: “Yes, India Open didn’t go that well, but it’s not like it happened in India only. There have been many incidents in competitions abroad as well. This time around, it is amazing to see how we have transformed.”
For 18-year-old Unnati Hooda, making her World Championships debut, the measures show how seriously the hosts have taken January’s criticism: “The competition is returning to India after 17 years so of course it a huge responsibility to have a smooth running. I did not play the India Open but saw it on news. But, this time around it is different. The creativity and out of the box thinking has really made a difference. We players have been clicking pictures in the arena.”
