The 2026 India Open, in which Ahn Se-young (24, Samsung Life Insurance) is participating, is on the chopping block due to poor stadium conditions. Birds and monkeys invaded the stadium, and hygiene issues arose.
The Indian media ‘The Times of India’ focused on the total chaos of the tournament on the 16th (Korean time), saying, “The India Open is being held in chaos. Birds and monkeys have appeared in the stadium, and even the facilities are poor.”
The media even strongly criticized, saying, “The international badminton match was stopped because of bird droppings on the court, and monkeys were seen in the stands,” and “Players are having difficulty breathing due to air pollution. This is not satire, but the reality of the Indian Open Super 750 being held in the capital, New Delhi.”
In fact, this competition is a series of unimaginable happenings. During the men’s singles match on the 16th, bird droppings fell from the ceiling onto the court, causing a commotion that led to the match being stopped twice. Wild monkeys were even spotted wandering around the stands of the stadium.
Players’ complaints are also running high. Anders Antonsen (Denmark), ranked third in the world in men’s singles, announced that he would withdraw from the tournament for the third consecutive year, even accepting a fine, citing severe air pollution in New Delhi. Denmark’s Mia Bleachfeld also criticized the stadium, saying, “There is dust and bird droppings on the stadium floor. The sanitary conditions are terrible.”
As the situation became more serious, voices of criticism emerged from the Indian political world. According to ‘The Times of India’, Abhishek Singhvi, an Indian senator and lawyer, criticized through his personal social networking service (SNS), “If you are going to hold an international event, you need administrative power commensurate with it,” and “A situation where the game is stopped due to bird droppings and monkeys roam around is an international disgrace. If things are like this, we should not even dream of hosting the Olympics.”
Senator Priyanka Chaturvedi also pointed out the lack of infrastructure, saying, “World-class sports require world-class management.”
As the controversy spread, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) explained in a statement, “We are working to resolve cleanliness and animal issues by accepting feedback from players and teams.”
Even in adverse conditions, Ahn Se-young did not waver. Se-young Ahn defeated Taiwan’s rookie Hwang Yu-shun (38th) 2-0 (21-14, 21-9) in the women’s singles round of 16 held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi, India, on the 15th. It took only 31 minutes.
It’s an overwhelming class. Ahn Se-young was tied at 13-13 in the middle of the first game, but scored four consecutive points twice to take the lead. In the second game where they won, they finished the game quickly, tying the opponent to 9 points.
Ahn Se-young conquered the world of badminton last year. Starting with the 2025 season Malaysia Open, he swept three Super 1000 level competitions, including the All England Open and Indonesia Open, and even five Super 750 level competitions, including the India Open and Japan Open. In addition, he also lifted the World Tour Finals trophy, a king of kings, and achieved a milestone of 11 wins in the season. This ties the BWF record for most wins in a single season set by Kento Momota (Japan) in 2019.
