Anders Antonsen: The choice of pulling out of India Open 2026 was made by the world’s second ranked Danish badminton player Anders Antonsen, who cited New Delhi’s air pollution as the main reason for his withdrawal. The player used a social media post as a means to raise the matter with the world and uploaded a screenshot of the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI).
Anders Antonsen Calls Polluted Delhi Unfit For Badminton
The AQI was reportedly oscillating between ‘Severe’ and ‘Very Poor’ levels for quite a while. The player remarked that he was not very likely to see a professional badminton tournament being held in Delhi under such conditions. This year, it was the third time respectively that Antonsen missed the Super 750 competition in the Indian capital, bringing again the subject of sportsmen’s health and the effect of winter smog in the city to the attention. Top players in the BWF are supposed to play at least 5 Super 750 tournaments every year and if they don’t they are subject to fines. It is through these predicaments that the BWF has decided to impose a fine of USD 5,000 on Anders Antonsen for doing an act of missing an event that was mandatory for him. His position was in line with that of his fellow player Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark who went so far as to label the air quality and the indoor arena conditions at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium as ‘unhealthy and unacceptable’. She then went on to elaborate on the factors that contributed to this, citing cold temperatures, dirt, and even bird activity in some areas.
Anders Antonsen After Exit
Antonsen’s exit from the tournament and his statements have brought huge focus to the playing conditions at this year’s India Open and have raised the question whether New Delhi is a decent place for hosting the event in times of severe air pollution. Later in the year, the same venue will witness the 2026 BWF World Championships and players and officials are already asking for changes that would improve health and fairness in competition. The scenario reveals the ongoing problems regarding air pollution and elite sports events and implicitly calls for more environmental considerations in the tournament’s planning.
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