SINGAPORE: National badminton star Loh Kean Yew is fast, quick and nimble on court but for the first time on Thursday (Jan 15), his game was slowed down by bird poo.
His round-of-16 match against H.S. Prannoy at the US$950,000 (S$1.2 million) India Open was interrupted twice because bird droppings landed on court in the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
The first time was when India’s Prannoy was leading 16-14 in the first game. The umpire can be seen in video footage signalling to Prannoy to wait, just as he was about to serve. He then stops the match and calls for the area to be cleaned.
Loh then goes on to take a closer look at the affected area.
Bird poo made a second appearance early in the deciding game when Loh was serving. In both instances, play resumed after the court was cleaned.
Despite the distractions, eighth seed Loh kept his cool to win 18-21, 21-19, 21-14. He will face Thai world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the quarter-finals in New Delhi on Jan 16.
This was not the first time bird droppings have created a stink at the Super 750 India Open.
Danish women’s singles player Mia Blechfledt on Jan 13 said birds were flying around the arena, and that she saw bird poop on the floor.
After Blechfledt’s comments, the Badminton Association of India in a statement said she was referring to the training arena, and that the “playing arena has been kept clean, dirt-free and pigeon-free”. - The Straits Times/ANN
