The India Open 2026 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi concluded on Sunday. The S750 event was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the Badminton Association of India (BAI) ahead of the BWF World Championshipis but the event was in the news for all the wrong reasons.
While the event showcased world-class badminton action enjoyed by the badminton fans and offered better viewing experience as the tournament moved to IGI Stadium from smaller KD Jadhav stadium, but the headlines were dominated by the unexpected presence of monkey, and pigeon droppings rather than the dire state of Indian badminton as no home shuttler was crowned at India Open since it upgraded to S750 in 2023.
Things similar to these incidents happen all over the world. Earlier we have seen some players withdrawing from events due to food poisoning at Indonesia Masters. HS Prannoy’s match against Brian Yang at the Malaysia Open 2025 was interrupted and eventually postponed due to continuous water leakage at the Axiata Arena, power outage at the Denmark Open and many such more examples.
In an exclusive conversation, Sanjay Mishra, general secretary of the BAI, addresses these off-the-court controversies and also underlines excessive negativity and provides a candid look at how the federation is preparing for the World Championships and how BAI is looking at the current situation of Indian badminton.
Q. India Open 2026 has been in the news for pollution concerns and off-the-court issues. How does BAl view all this?
Sanjay Mishra: We are taking all the comments and feedback that are coming our way very seriously. As a national federation, we will do whatever is possible for the betterment of the sport and the players. Our focus is to ensure that the World Championships is conducted at the highest possible standard.
As far as weather related concerns are concerned, pollution levels will reduce once the winter is over. If there are shortcomings, we accept that. I would say 95% of the work has been done well, and if there is a 5% gap, we will certainly address and remove that.
At the same time, we should not over highlight the negatives. We are doing our best and we will continue to do our best, especially with the World Championships in mind.
Q. BWF has also spoken to players and teams. Have you received any constructive feedback from them? How do you see BWF’s monitoring of the situation?
Sanjay Mishra: The BWF team is present here and we are in constant touch with them. Their view is very clear, nothing is happening here that has never happened before.
In big tournaments across the world, whether it is Denmark, France, China, Indonesia, or Malaysia, issues do come up. That is part of organising large scale events. Here some things are getting highlighted more than usual.
BWF has asked us not to worry unnecessarily and instead focus on preparations for the World Championships. According to them, the tournament is going well, and that is what matters most.
Q. Mia Blichfeldt specifically spoke about her discomfort. How do you react to her comments?
Sanjay Mishra: Last year as well, she had mentioned that she has a dust allergy. I do not know the exact medical details but she expressed what she felt at that moment.
From our side, if there are any shortcomings, especially related to cleanliness that we will definitely work on them before the World Championships. The feedback we are receiving is being taken positively.
Q.The World Championships is returning to India after 16 years and the India Open served as a dress rehearsal. What are the learnings BAl has taken from this tournament?
Sanjay Mishra: IGI Stadium is a very big venue. We have partitioned it to create four warm-up courts, with the main competition court on the other side. Because of the sheer size, a lot of hard work went into preparations.
We installed completely new wooden flooring and court specific lighting, similar to what you see at the All England Championships where the court is brightly lit and the surrounding area remains comparatively darker. This has been widely appreciated.
When the exact requirements for the World Championships are finalised, we will discuss them with the Ministry. We have already assured the government that whatever is required as per the BWF norms will be fulfilled.
We will prepare extremely well. This will be a powerful World Championships, and people will remember it for a long time. I am confident that even those who are crticising today will eventually appreciate effort.
Q.There huge concern that Indian fans raised was about poor performances of the Indian shuttlers at such a big home tournament?
Sanjay Mishra: Players like Prannoy, Srikanth, and Sindhu have already achieved a lot. They are still competitive and performing. Lakshya today can beat any player in the world on his day.
Satwik-Chirag despite injuries came back strongly and reached world No. 3. These players will continue to give us results.
Also, we have a very talented junior group. They need time, exposure, and maturity. In two to three years, they will start delivering not just at smaller tourna s, but also at big events.
In women’s singles, we have excellent talents — Tanvi Sharma, Tanvi Patri, Rakshita Ramraj, Unnati Hooda. They are all playing at a very similar level and have huge potential to win big tournaments for India.
In men’s singles, Ayush Shetty is already doing well. Shankar Muthusamy and junior players like Ronak Chauhan are also progressing strongly.
Q. Vimal Kumar suggested exposure tours or test series for juniors. Is BAl considering something similar?
Sanjay Mishra: Yes, this is already part of our plan. Asian countries dominate world badminton. Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand.
We are planning exchange programmes where our junior players will train in countries like Indonesia or Malaysia for 10-15 days. They will train and play alongside local players, and later their players will come to India.
While we are not calling it a ‘test series’ yet, these exchange programmes will give our players high-quality exposure, which is extremely important.
Q. With the BWF calendar cycle changing, there is talk of shifting the India Open window. What is BAl’s stand?
Sanjay Mishra: The new BWF cycle will begin from 2027 and prize money is also increasing. The overall standards of tournaments is going up.
BWF has given us two or three window options for hosting the India Open. Once we receive the final options, we will choose a period that avoids extreme cold and pollution. We do not want to face the same challenges again, so the timing will be selected very carefully.
Q. Is BAI considering new venues like Guwahati, Pune, or Hyderabad for future India Opens?
Sanjay Mishra: For Super 750 or Super 1000 events, BWF has very strict requirements. Not just stadiums but hotels, seating capacity, practice halls and connectivity, including direct international flights.
Guwahati, for example, has some flight connectivity issues. We will inspect venues and only proceed if all BWF requirements are met. As of now, there is no final decision on shifting venues.
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