World No.20 Mia Blichfeldt has opened fire against the India Open 2026, criticizing its ‘poor conditions’, which is affecting the player’s health.
Incidentally, the venue for India Open 2026 has been moved from the KD Jadhav hall to the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, as a preparation for the BWF World Championships in August which the country will be hosting after 17 years.
“I’m happy with the court conditions but not the health conditions”, Mia told reporters after her first round win against Chinese Taipei shuttler Chin Piu-chian. “The floors are dirty and there is a lot of dirt on the courts. Also, there are birds flying in the arena, there is bird poop also.”
“As a European player, I think I’m more sensitive to all this stuff,” she added.
This is the second time in a row that the Danish has opened fire against the conditions at India Open after falling sick last year.
“Last year I made a complaint about the conditions because I think it’s not fair to the players. A lot of us get sick and that means we cannot participate in the tournament the week after,” said Blichfeldt. “This year I’m only eating in my room actually to try to not get sick. Weatherwise also, it is cold and I’m playing with extra layering.”
She, however, said that the arena is great for hosting mega events.
“The arena itself is huge and I think it’s really great for major events like this, especially World Championships. But I really hope that it’s going to be better conditions for the players during the Worlds. Everybody is trying their best to make conditions good for the athletes but BWF should look into it as this is a professional sport,” Blichfeldt added further.
Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra replied to the criticism saying, “Mia’s comments were made in a broader context around general playing conditions and personal health sensitivities, and not about the playing arena at the India Open specifically.” He further added, “Regarding the warm-up area, it is important to note that she was referring to the KD Jadhav Stadium, which serves as the training venue, and not the main playing arena.”