SAI, BAI go all out to ensure hassle-free World Championships

Having suffered a massive backlash for poor infrastructure and entry of pigeons and monkeys during the India Open earlier this year, the Badminton Association of India and SAI have gone all out to ensure the upcoming BWF World Championships go on without a glitch.

The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, venue for the prestigious World Championships returning to India after 17 years, has undergone massive upgrades and refurbishment over the past six months, both structural and cosmetic.

“We started work in February itself. Since the infrastructure is very old, there were a lot of structural damages that we had to take care of. The old roof has been treated and repaired to make it waterproof, a lot of expansion joints have been treated, a lot of chairs in the seating area replaced,” Ambar Pratap Singh, SAI Executive Director of the newly-formed engineering division, explained.

As for invaders of the avian and simian variety, all entry points to the main arena of the three main buildings that are part of the complex — the main badminton arena, the velodrome and the K.D. Jadhav Hall — have been equipped with automatic glass double doors to prevent entry.

Non-toxic gel to prevent pigeons from perching over courts, imported machines to produce sound frequency to repel birds at night and employing three men to mimic langurs are among the more innovative measures being taken to ensure there are no complaints.

Among other technical upgrades is the lighting system that has been changed by SAI and additional lights being deployed by BAI to eliminate any shadows on the newly-laid wooden courts. “Lighting was not an issue during India Open also but we have made it even better now. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is satisfied with the lighting in both the competition and practice arena,” BAI secretary Sanjay Mishra said.

Ambar Pratap Singh also said that the recent heavy spell of rainfall had helped the officials identify any issues in the structure ahead of the event, to be held from August 17-23. “There were a few leakages but they have all been plugged. One part of the K.D. Jadhav Hall has also been upgraded to be used for practice,” he said.