The Indian Open encounter between HS Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew was halted first towards the end of the opening game and then at the start of the third game, due to bird droppings falling from the top of the stadium ceiling.
The Indian later said in the mixed zone, ‘it was bird shit that kind of halted the game.’ Court 1 is the main television court where it happened. In fact the commentators were also not sure why the match was getting stopped.
The clash was first halted when the Indian was leading 16-14 when the umpire called the tournament official to remove something from the court. The same thing happened during the third game when Prannoy was ahead 1-0. He eventually lost 21-18, 19-21, 14-21.
On Tuesday, Danish shuttler Mia Blichfeldt said that she was unhappy with ‘health conditions’. “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,” she had said. In response to her comments, the Badminton Association of India had said there were no issues at the playing arena, which is the IG Indoor Stadium, and the shuttler was referring to the training arena, which is KD Jadhav Indoor hall.”
Unusual scenes at the India Open.
The match between LKY and HS Prannoy was halted at 16–14 in the first game after bird droppings landed on court at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
The same issue caused another stoppage in Game 3.
Credit @jon_selvaraj pic.twitter.com/XKCvvUvwie
— IndiaSportsHub (@IndiaSportsHub) January 15, 2026
“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,” BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra had said. “The playing arena has been kept clean, dirt-free and pigeon-free, and several players have expressed satisfaction with the conditions at the venue.”
VIDEO | Here’s what HS Prannoy said after his loss against Loh Kean Yew in R16 of India Open 2026 Badminton C’ship.
“First five or six points were very crucial in the third game. I missed a few smashes too, probably I went out of focus for a couple of minutes. That is the one… pic.twitter.com/sqQFGC6h1u
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 15, 2026
A monkey was also sighted on Wednesday in the stands. “It was there for 10 minutes and once we received a complaint, we removed it promptly,” an official had said. Korean men’s doubles player Kang Min Hyuk also posted a video of a monkey at the KD Jadhav Indoor hall, the designated training venue in the same complex,” Security officials at the venue later confirmed to The Indian Express.
“BAI and the venue staff have been working at the stadium continuously for the last 20 days, and this is the first time such an incident has been observed. It is unfortunate, and it is possible that a door may have been inadvertently left open,” BAI said in their statement regarding the monkey incident.
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