India Open Was a Test, IGI Arena Issues Fixed for BWF Worlds: BAI Chief

India Open was a "test", infra issues at IGI Arena addressed ahead of BWF World C'ships: BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra

By Sahil Kohli, New Delhi, August 5

The BAI General Secretary was speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the BWF World Championships draw reveal, with the tournament set to take place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Arena in New Delhi from August 17 to 23. The same arena was used during the India Open earlier this year in January and faced criticism from visiting players due to alleged poor conditions at the arena. Instances of bird droppings during matches were witnessed. Then world number two shuttler Anders Antonsen pulled out of the tournament for the third successive year due to "extreme pollution". Denmark shuttler Mia Blitchfeldt also criticised the conditions at the playing arena as "simply unacceptable and highly unprofessional", which made focusing on the performance tough.

Ahead of the world meet, Sanjay said to ANI, "All the issues players faced during the India Open were because it was a test event, intended specifically to identify any problems within the stadium. We have addressed every issue that was raised, and I am 100 per cent certain that no similar problems will occur this time."

Sanjay also dropped a bold prediction leading up to the tournament, that the 21-year-old Asian Championships silver medalist Ayush Shetty could beat the defending champion and world number one Shi Yu Qi of China in the first round, noting that the Chinese gets harder to beat as the tournament progresses and stands at his most vulnerable against Ayush, who he feels "is capable of beating any player in the world."

"Regarding the draw, as everyone is mentioning, Ayush is set to face the world number one. If he manages to beat the world number one in the first round--which I believe he can--it will make things significantly easier for him moving forward. Of course, nothing is truly 'easy' in the World Championships, but it would be relatively better. Shi Yu Qi is the kind of player who becomes increasingly difficult to beat as he progresses through a tournament. Therefore, Ayush might face him at his most vulnerable in the first round. His recent performances demonstrate that he is capable of defeating any player in the world," she added.

Sanjay also backed the two-time Olympic medalist, the former world champion PV Sindhu, to do well, who had recently beaten star shuttler Akane Yamaguchi in two straight games to secure the Japan Open title in July and ended her two-year title drought. In the previous World Championships, the 31-year-old had finished her run in the quarterfinals.

The General Secretary feels Sindhu has "nothing left to prove" and still remains capable of defeating any player.

"Her numerous achievements clearly indicate the high level she plays at. She remains capable of defeating any player in the world today. She is exceptionally strong both mentally and physically. It's very encouraging for us that she has regained her form and has been performing well over the past three to four months. Playing on home ground with the support of the fans, I am confident she and our other players will perform excellently," said Sanjay.

Sanjay also spoke highly of the chances of the two-time Bronze medalist pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of going deep in the tournament. The popular men's duo are heading into the tournament with back-to-back round of 32 finishes in Indonesia and Japan after the highs of the Singapore Open title win in May and Satwiksairaj facing injury. The return of the former doubles coach Mathias Boe as a consultant alongside head coach Tan Kim Her has boosted their coaching/support staff.

"Specifically regarding Satwik and Chirag, he (Mathias) likely provides mental guidance, but their primary coaching is handled by Tan, our doubles coach. Satwik and Chirag are a pair that no one in the world can afford to take lightly; they are certainly capable of becoming world champions. They dealt with some injury issues recently, but as the coach stated, they are now fully fit for the tournament. I believe we will see them at their best," said Sanjay on a concluding note.

— ANI