New Delhi: Danish shuttler Anders Antonsen has questioned the decision to stage the India Open in New Delhi in February next year, saying the city’s pollution during that period can be “pretty insane” and that he was “not happy” to see the tournament return to the same time slot.Antonsen, who is competing at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, has opted against playing in India in the last three years. Even earlier in the year, at the India Open, he decided against making the trip and paid a $5,000 fine for skipping the tournament.He said the conditions at the Championships that begin on Monday are considerably more comfortable.“I don’t know. I wasn’t happy to see it to be honest. The BWF gives out these fines if you don’t show up to Super 750 or above,” he told the media on Sunday.“Every year, when I see the calendar, I am like, okay, they are just instantly giving me a $5,000 fine. I don’t know if next year will be the same. I haven’t really decided 100% yet,” he added.“In all honesty, I wasn’t happy to see it because, as we just talked about, the pollution during that season is pretty insane. I don’t think it is the right move for the BWF to host the tournament in January or February in Delhi. This time around, it seems much better from my perspective,” the 29-year-old continued.The India Open is part of the BWF’s new calendar for next year and is scheduled for February. Antonsen said he was yet to decide whether he would participate, while also pointing to the financial penalties players face for missing higher-level tournaments.“Last time was in 2023. As I understand it, there is a big, big difference from season to season when it comes to the pollution, right? In general, it is pretty crazy. This is just fine.”The 29-year-old said he had experienced much worse conditions in Delhi and was comfortable with the air quality during the World Championships.“I have experienced way worse air pollution than it is right now. This I am okay with. As far as the conditions go, the hall is pretty and the practise facilities are good as well.”

Antonsen’s Instagram post

Antosen is among the many men’s singles players who are competing for the title. With no clear contender, Antonsen hopes to bank on his Thailand Open win to win his first World Championships gold medal.The Dane knows, however, that winning a World Championships title will require him to produce his best badminton in a men’s singles field that he believes has become increasingly unpredictable.“Yeah, you’re right. I’ve claimed the bronze three times and the silver once, so the one I miss in the collection is definitely the gold. So that could be amazing and a dream come true if I was able to claim that, but it was preventing me from getting that final step.”“I don’t know, I’ve faced some better players, I guess, in the given tournaments, so yeah, hopefully this year can be my year. I need to play my absolute best and maybe even better than I’ve ever done before, and then I need a bunch of luck. So yeah, the men’s singles category right now is insane.”