All posts tagged: India Open badminton

BWF’s revamped tour, India’s shrinking footprint: What changed and why it matters

BWF’s revamped tour, India’s shrinking footprint: What changed and why it matters

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The Badminton World Federation (BWF) unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its World Tour and major championships for the 2027–2030 cycle. The headline changes speak of growth, visibility and player welfare. For India, however, the announcement carries a far more complicated subtext, one that blends relief, loss and unanswered questions. At one end of the spectrum is stability. The India Open (badminton) will continue as a Super 750 event, preserving its place among the sport’s elite tournaments despite criticism from players this season over issues such as venue conditions and tournament operations. At the other end is a clear downgrade. Syed Modi International to Super 100 The Syed Modi International, a long-standing fixture on the Indian circuit, has been pushed down from Super 300 to Super 100, the lowest tier on the BWF World Tour. Two other international tournaments previously staged in Guwahati and Odisha have been removed from the calendar entirely. From hosting four BWF events, India will now host only two. The India Open, which itself came under public scrutiny this year after players …

Toxic air wake-up call: The biggest limiter is I can’t do strenuous training because my lungs are going to be impacted: Tejaswin Shankar | Sport-others News

Toxic air wake-up call: The biggest limiter is I can’t do strenuous training because my lungs are going to be impacted: Tejaswin Shankar | Sport-others News

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The window for athletes to train is shrinking in and around the National Capital Region because of toxic air in winter and searing summers. As the country makes a pitch for the 2036 Olympics, The Indian Express spoke to coaches and athletes from a wide range of sports — boxing, wrestling, athletics and para-athletics, cycling, shooting, hockey and also experts — on the impact of the conditions on health and training. International badminton stars, in Delhi last week for the India Open, have complained to the International Olympic Committee about the air pollution, and have cited health concerns. **** The biggest change has been the pollution over the last few years for some reason. I’ve been in Delhi for so many years, I’ve trained pretty much for the last 10-15 years, but I feel in the last seven to eight years, the pollution has for some reason exponentially increased. We know that when there’s more particles in the air, it becomes extremely hard to breathe. Now when you’re doing physical activity and your heart rate …

Sports alarm bells: Toxic air outdoors, indoors not weather proof, International Olympic Committee takes note | Sport-others News

Sports alarm bells: Toxic air outdoors, indoors not weather proof, International Olympic Committee takes note | Sport-others News

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* At the India Open last week, international badminton stars questioned Delhi’s place on the global calendar, citing health concerns from the toxic air. Some of them even complained to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “We can confirm that the IOC Athletes’ Commission has received the information and is in touch,” the IOC told The Indian Express. * Dronacharya Award-winning hockey coach Pritam Siwach is worried. At the Sports Authority of India’s Sonepat centre, dust and toxic air have left her players coughing and allergic. “They fall sick, recover and fall sick again. It doesn’t end,” she said. The doctors are blunt: the air and water are unfit. * Decathlete Tejaswin Shankar said winter training in Delhi is no longer about grit, but pollution. Shankar, who hails from Delhi, left in November to train in Bhubaneswar first, South Africa later and the US now. The “extremely difficult” summer brings no relief. “There are real physiological costs for athletes in Delhi,” he said. * At the premier National Institute of Sport in Patiala, the talk is …

Bird droppings falling on court halts match between HS Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew twice

Bird droppings falling on court halts match between HS Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew twice

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The match between HS Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew was paused twice, 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. While it wasn’t clear during the match why the chair umpire had his arm up to call for the tournament referee and another official came on court to wipe, the Indian later said in the mixed zone, ‘it was bird shit that kind of halted the game.’ It happened on Court 1 at the venue, which is the main television court. The commentators weren’t sure on air either about what was causing the stoppages. In the first game, when Prannoy was leading 16-14, the game was halted as the umpire called the tournament official to remove something from the court. An official then cleaned the spot with tissues and wipes. The same incident happened in the third game when Prannoy was leading 1-0. In a close battle against the former world champion, Prannoy eventually …

India Open badminton: For Satwik-Chirag, 2022 triumph at home was a turning point; in 2026, they are aiming for a repeat | Badminton News

India Open badminton: For Satwik-Chirag, 2022 triumph at home was a turning point; in 2026, they are aiming for a repeat | Badminton News

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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy recalls the unusual lead-up to the 2022 India Open, which was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was confusion regarding Chirag Shetty’s availability, as he tested positive for the coronavirus first but then returned a negative result on arrival in Delhi. In the meantime, Satwik was secretly glad that they might not play at the event because he wanted to spend Sankranti at home. “When Chirag called to say negative aa gaya hai, I was like, damn, khelna padega abhi,” Satwik said with a chuckle. They eventually went all the way, beating their idols – Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan – in the final. Satwik had described it as ‘a dream match.’ It set the tone for a magnificent 2022, arguably their best year on tour. They starred in India’s historic Thomas Cup triumph, won historic medals at the Commonwealth Games (gold) and World Championships (bronze), bagged their first Super 750 title at French Open and finished the year inside the world’s top 5. Now, entering this season as …

India Open Super 750: Tanvi Sharma, Tharun Mannepalli promoted to main draw after withdrawals | Badminton News

India Open Super 750: Tanvi Sharma, Tharun Mannepalli promoted to main draw after withdrawals | Badminton News

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India’s representation at their home event increased as Tanvi Sharma and Tharun Mannepalli were promoted to the main draw of women’s singles and men’s singles respectively for the India Open Super 750 tournament starting on Tuesday in New Delhi. With the withdrawal of Akane Yamaguchi, World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi, who was the second reserve, gets the chance to make her mark. Also getting promoted were doubles national champions Ashwini Bhat K and Shikha Gautam in women’s doubles. World champion and men’s singles world No 1 Shi Yuqi pulled out of the tournament after he had to retire in Sunday’s Malaysia Open 2026 final against Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Tharun’s elevation from the reserved category means there will be two all-India contests in the opening round of men’s singles. While Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty will be up against each other as per the original draw, Tharun will face Kidambi Srikanth in the opening round. In women’s singles, women’s third seed and reigning world champion Yamaguchi, who had retired against PV Sindhu in the quarterfinals of …

With home titles proving elusive, India Open 2026 presents the country’s top shuttlers with chance to prove big-match credentials

With home titles proving elusive, India Open 2026 presents the country’s top shuttlers with chance to prove big-match credentials

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Just seven India Open titles out of the 70 available across 5 categories in the most defining decade and a half of Indian badminton, leads to the question: Have Indian shuttlers made the most of the ‘home advantage’? The biggest names – Saina Nehwal (twice), PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Lakshya Sen and Jwala Gutta-V Diju (back in 2010) – have no doubt etched their names on the winners’ board. Since back in the day in 2010 when it was a mere Grand Prix event right until its current Super 750 status, Indians have made a total of 21 semifinals too, falling at the penultimate or final hurdle, thus not winning a title.  But despite Delhi cultivating a fairly loyal watching base that can slowly be persuaded to shell out ticket money to watch badminton (good sport deserves a paying public, not passes), it’s been difficult to keep the home crowd invested with partisan interest till Finals Sunday. As has been the trend, Satwik-Chirag have salvaged the situation when singles stars …

Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2026 moves to IG Indoor Stadium as tickets go on sale

Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2026 moves to IG Indoor Stadium as tickets go on sale

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The Yonex-Sunrise India Open will be staged at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi for the first time when the tournament returns from January 13 to 18, 2026, marking a significant upgrade in venue capacity and spectator experience. The move to the IG Indoor Stadium, which can accommodate over 8,000 fans, represents a major scale-up for India’s premier international badminton tournament. The expanded venue more than doubles the seating capacity of the previous arena and reflects the growing profile of the event on the global circuit. Tickets for the 2026 edition are now on sale, priced from INR 400 onwards, with premium seating capped at INR 1,750. The organisers have also introduced a phased early-bird discount structure, allowing fans who book in advance to avail discounts of up to 50 per cent. Tickets are available exclusively online through the tournament’s official ticketing partner. Organised by the Badminton Association of India under the aegis of the Badminton World Federation, the tournament is part of the BWF World Tour Super 750 category. The event offers …

‘Still have lot of badminton left in me’: Viktor Axelsen says he will be out of action for a while due to surgery for back issues | Badminton News

‘Still have lot of badminton left in me’: Viktor Axelsen says he will be out of action for a while due to surgery for back issues | Badminton News

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Danish superstar shuttler Viktor Axelsen confirmed on Saturday that he is set for a spell on the sidelines from badminton action as he has decided to undergo surgery for his persistent back trouble. The two-time Olympic champion, however, confirmed that he still intended to make a comeback to action. “After consulting with my medical team, I have decided to undergo endoscopic treatment for my back issues next week,” Axelsen posted on social media. “While this means I will need some weeks for rehab post-surgery, I am confident that I will come back stronger. I still feel like I have a lot of badminton in me, and I’m fully committed to doing everything necessary to return to the court at my best.” After losing in the first round at the prestigious All England Open in Birmingham this month against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun Yi, Axelsen had said that he had been dealing with severe back/nerve pain for several months now, and that there were just too many days where my body doesn’t allow me to move …

India Open badminton: Sindhu, Ratchanok, Marin, Tai Tzu-Ying, Okuhara – how shuttle’s golden generation bonds together | Badminton News

India Open badminton: Sindhu, Ratchanok, Marin, Tai Tzu-Ying, Okuhara – how shuttle’s golden generation bonds together | Badminton News

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Scroll down to December 2018 on PV Sindhu’s Instagram page, and one will find a post with the caption: ‘Wang Yihan, long time no see, finally I get to see her!’, with a generous dose of emojis. Also tagged in that post is Ratchanok ‘May’ Intanon, and one of the hashtags read: ‘Friends for life!’ In a BWF Unlimited video posted in 2023, shuttlers from around the world are asked who their best friend on the tour is, and Intanon’s response is PV Sindhu. Born exactly five months apart in 1995, the two 29-year-olds made headlines on the senior badminton circuit as teenagers in 2013. Intanon made history for Thailand by becoming World Champion at 18, whereas Sindhu won the first of her five Worlds medals when she clinched bronze. And at the start of 2025, the journey continues. “Actually, I had made plans to come visit Sindhu at her wedding,” Intanon told The Indian Express on Thursday at the India Open. “Finally, it proved difficult for me to journey here for one or two …