After Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt complained about the playing conditions at the ongoing India Open, former world number 1 Kidambi Srikanth on Wednesday defended the organisers, claiming that he is yet to come across anything "bad" at the venue and that minor organisational challenges are not specific to one host nation.
Blichfeldt had described the conditions at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex and its surroundings as "unhealthy", urging the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to intervene ahead of the World Championships later this year at the same venue.
K. Srikanth, who advanced to the second round with a hard-fought win over compatriot Tharun Mannepalli, said he did not understand the hue and cry. "I don't know, see, every country has its own conditions," said Srikanth, the 2021 World Championships silver medallist.
"In Singapore, there is a lot of drift. In Malaysia, probably a little less. Earlier in Indonesia, it used to be very compact and fast before renovation. Every country has its own challenge," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
Asked specifically about Blichfeldt's comments, Srikanth said he had not seen her remarks in detail, but the conditions at the venue were acceptable based on his own experience.
"See, I frankly haven't really read the note that she spoke of. But I feel the conditions are fine. I didn't really see anything bad that was happening," he said, while recalling past disruptions on the international circuit.
"In 2016 or 2017, I had to wait for about an hour in between my match in Denmark because the lights went out," he revealed.
The 32-year-old also cited an instance involving H. S. Prannoy, who had to complete a match over two days.
"Prannoy was just telling me he had to play his match the following day. He played one set on the first day and then the second set on the following day," he said.
"So, these things do happen; it's just that nobody does it deliberately. Every country wants to do it really well. So, these things do happen very rarely; I don't know why everyone's complaining about it."
Blichfeldt had said that while the courts were satisfactory, the overall environment remained a concern.
"I am happy with the court conditions but not with the health conditions," she said on Tuesday.
The Badminton Association of India moved this year's India Open Super 750 from the K. D. Jadhav Hall to the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium as a preparatory step for the World Championships, which India will host in August after 17 years.
BAI Secretary General Sanjay Mishra had said that the organisers are doing their best to meet the players' expectations.
"It is like a test event for us, to learn for the World Championship. It's cold in Delhi, yes, so we are providing heaters; players are appreciating this. We should not just go by one player's comment; she might have been sensitive," PTI quoted him as saying on Tuesday after Mia's comments caused a social media storm.
