No monkey business: BWF happy with World Championships venue
BWF Confident in Stadium Preparations for World Championships
Bharatmorningnews.com – Badminton organizers and the Badminton World Federation are implementing extensive upgrades at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium to ensure the upcoming World Championships runs smoothly. The tournament is scheduled to take place between August 17 and 23, with officials determined to avoid repeating the problems that occurred during January’s India Open event.
Infrastructure and Animal Control Measures
Selvam Supramaniam, who serves as the BWF Events Director for Tournament Operations, outlined the comprehensive improvements being made. His assessment follows multiple site visits conducted from February through the present period.
“A lot of work has been done,” said Supramaniam. “Renovations to all the toilets, deep cleaning done on seats, damaged seats replaced, and a lot of sealing and wiring work. The waterproofing was done on the roof itself, which was one of the first projects that they (Sports Authority of India) did.”
One of the most visible issues during the India Open involved bird droppings contaminating the playing area. To address this concern, the Sports Authority of India has applied specialized anti-pest gel across the ceiling beams throughout the venue.
“They’ve finished putting gel on the roof. This gel prevents birds from perching on the beams, similar to what you’ll find near airports. The last three days that I’ve been there, I’ve not seen any pigeons. So, I don’t know whether that’s simply because there are a lot of people, or the gel is actually doing its job,” Supramaniam explained.
Stray animals have also been removed from the complex. According to Supramaniam, approximately 60 dogs were relocated from the premises by SAI, which maintains ownership of the Indira Gandhi sports facility. Officials have additionally reported no monkey sightings during recent inspections.
“From what I heard, they rounded up almost 60 dogs, and they were sent away,” said Supramaniam, adding that no monkeys had been spotted in recent site inspections. “I’ve not seen any monkeys as well… that is something that we will need to regularly check.”
Technical Preparations Underway
Control of the venue officially transferred from SAI to the Badminton Association of India on Wednesday, allowing operations to focus on the main competition area. Installation of the wooden sub-flooring has been completed, with plans to mount the lighting truss and rig before placing court mats on August 7.
Despite the visible improvements, Supramaniam emphasized that cleaning efforts must continue until the tournament begins. The presence of numerous construction workers and weather conditions contribute to ongoing dirt accumulation.
“There’s still a lot more cleaning to be done. That’s simply because there are so many workmen in the venue. It’s a huge stadium, and understandably, a lot of workmen are going in and out, and with rain, it is bound to get dirty. We just need to keep doing the cleaning work,” he added.
Elevating the Event Experience
Supramaniam noted that both SAI and BAI have responded to the majority of recommendations outlined in the BWF’s February report, with improvements extending beyond the interior to include exterior landscaping work.
“All in all, plenty of work, thanks to SAI and BAI. For us, we are more interested in the venue itself, and they’ve done it,” he said.
To distinguish the World Championships from a regular BWF World Tour event, the BAI has engaged international technical experts. Lighting consultants from Indonesia, who previously contributed to the Indonesia Open and Indonesia Masters, are among those brought in to enhance the presentation.
“Our intention, of course, is to show a difference between India Open and the World Championships. The lighting during India Open was below expectations. We are working on it, bringing in consultants… so the sports presentation, we expect a better show,” he stated.
Ultimately, Supramaniam stressed that while visual improvements matter, the primary objective remains delivering a flawless competition.
“Does it really have to be massively different from India Open? No. Our main focus still is to deliver a tournament that’s free from any problems. The focus is always competition first. The rest is all show,” he concluded.
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