Indian shuttlers revealed that unfriendly conditions posed a major challenge during the recently-concluded Singapore Open Super Series. The badminton players had to contend with the drift on court caused by air conditioning among many other issues.
B Sai Praneeth of India would have learnt it the hard way from his recent experience. Remarkably, the Praneeth-Hun Yu match did not have a single smash or net point in his first round match of the recent Singapore Open Super Series.
It has come to light that the former national coach and current selector U Vimal Kumar lashed the organizers of the tournament and the world governing body, Badminton World Federation, blaming that the players’ concerns were not considered.
On the other hand, the players were more prudent about the issue commenting that it is a part of modern-day game and players have to adjust. Kumar complained that there was so much AC in the hall that it didn’t allow players to play their shots. It had affected their game a lot. He would blame BWF for such playing conditions. As the ACs and blowers were in full blast and the feathers being very light, the shuttles were so swift that players could not control them.
Kumar insisted that the scoring pattern is such that it puts players under pressure. One error committed and they lose a point. He interrogated that in case a match is played without a drop, smash or net play, then what is badminton? He stressed that nobody is bothered about players’ concerns. If they don’t play smashes, what is the reason of playing badminton. He added that the BWF should look into these issues.
World no. 3 Saina Nehwal, who lost in the quarterfinals, complained that the conditions were similar for all shuttlers. In fact, there was a lot of drift from one side. But it was present for everyone. However, a little more command on the game was required in such situations. She was eager to beat her rivals but failed because of lack of speed on her part.
On the men’s side, Parupalli Kashyap, who exited in the first round, complained that the AC going full blast was a challenge. He wouldn’t blame the BWF. The crowd couldn’t sit in humid conditions. It cannot be ignored that the players had to adjust themselves. That was a challenge and it became more interesting.
Frankly, BWF agreed that drift was an issue in Singapore. Secretary General Thomas Lund admitted that there was some drift in the stadium as has been the case in the past Singapore Open tournaments. However, measures were taken to ensure that it was at a minimum.
In addition, the settings for the air conditioning and blowers were the same from the qualifying rounds through the finals. Since it is not uncommon to have draught in the stadium, majority venues experience some drift. This is the reason they have practice sessions for the players to acclimatize as BWF attempts to ensure a good balance for everyone to enjoy badminton at an optimum level.
