Page 2 - Badminton World Championships

Delhi's Indira Gandhi Stadium undergoes revamp ahead of BWF World C'ships

The organisers of the upcoming BWF World Championships in India have taken extensive steps to upgrade the venue, the Indira Gandhi Stadium, to avoid the embarrassment that rocked the India Open earlier this year. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) -- the venue's owner -- learnt their lesson the hard way. During the India Open in January, pigeons twice halted a second-round match between HS Prannoy and Loh Kean Yew. The subsequent complaints regarding hygiene and Delhi's smog left the BAI in a difficult position. With the BWF World Championships returning to India after 17 years, the organisers are leaving no stone unturned to avoid further controversies. They have put anti-bird measures in place and even roped in monkey whisperers to host the world-class event from August 17 to 23. The vents have been sealed, wooden doors have been replaced with a double-door entry system, and an automatic outer door has been added ahead of the regular .

Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda lead India's World C'ship debutant quartet

Ayush Shetty has always had dreams of competing in the BWF World Championships. Now, that dream will turn into reality for the 21-year-old rising star as India is hosting the badminton's biggest event after a hiatus of 17 years. The Karnataka shutter realises how special an occasion this is for him. "To make my debut at the World Championships, and to do so when India is hosting the event after 17 years, is incredibly special," Ayush, one of four Indians who will make their first appearance in the tournament, told PTI. Ayush, however, has been handed a tough draw in the August 17-23 tournament as he is set to take on defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China in the men's singles' opening round. Joining him are women's singles prospect Unnati Hooda and women's doubles pair Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam, all of whom have earned their places through impressive performances on the international circuit. While the spotlight will naturally remain on established stars su

BWF approves World Championships venue upgrades after India Open row

The Badminton World Federation on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the extensive renovation and cleaning work carried out at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here ahead of the World Championships, saying most of the shortcomings highlighted after the India Open earlier this year have been addressed. The venue had come under sharp criticism during the India Open Super 750 tournament in January after players and officials complained about poor hygiene, unclean toilets and the presence of pigeons and monkeys inside the complex. BWF Events Director (Tournament Operations) Selvaamresh Supramaniam said the world body had conducted multiple inspections over the last seven months and found significant improvements. "We visited the stadium in January, February, April, June and then in the last couple of days. A lot of work has been done," Supramaniam said. "Renovations to all the toilets, there's been a lot of deep cleaning done, damaged seats have been replaced, a lot of sealing, wiri

Ayush handed Shi Yuqi test as Sindhu, Lakshya get favourable World draws

Top Indian shuttlers were on Wednesday handed a mixed draw for the BWF World Championships here with Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty facing the toughest opening round test against defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China, while PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen received relatively favourable starts. India is hosting the World Championships for the first time in 17 years, with the event to be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from August 17 to 23. Former world champion Sindhu's quest for an unprecedented sixth medal will begin against world No. 141 Sophia Nobel of Ireland, while 2021 World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya will take on Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon. Should he progress, Lakshya is likely to face second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the pre-quarterfinals. Sindhu, who won the Japan Open last month, has managed to avoid the likes of world number one An Se Young of South Korea and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan before the med

Sindhu ninth seed, Satwik-Chirag fifth at BWF World Championships 2026

Two-time Olympic medallist Indian shuttler PV Sindhu was on Tuesday seeded ninth in women's singles, while the star men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has been handed the fifth seeding for the upcoming BWF World Championships to be played at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here from August 17-23. Sindhu is the current Japan Open champion, while Satwik and Chirag are the 2022 Asian Games gold medallists. India have two entries each in all the five categories of the championships with at least one seeded entry in four of the five categories. Apart from Sindhu and Satwik-Chirag, former world championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen has been seeded 14th in men's singles and the mixed doubles pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are seeded 15th. While the players qualified for the prestigious championships based on their world rankings of April 28, 2026, the seedings were decided on the basis of world ranking on July 28, 2026. Men's singles world champion

Ayush to Unnati: Indian debutants chase history at World Badminton C'ships

Only two Indians have won a medal on their World Championships debut, i.e., PV Sindhu (2013) and Lakshya Sen (2021)

World C'ships: Sindhu stuns world No. 2, Satwik-Chirag break chinese jinx

Badminton World Championships roundup: Sindhu stuns World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi to storm into the quarters. Chirag-Shetty break their Chinese jinx, while Dhruv-Tanisha script a huge upset.

World Champion Vitidsarn targets India Open to regain form, mental strength

Kunlavut Vitidsarn is the defending champion of the India Open Super 750 tournament. He won the title in 2023 and is back to defend it. India Open 2024 starts on Tuesday, January 16 in New Delhi

World Championships: Disappointed, but bronze means a lot says HS Prannoy

Star Indian shuttler HS Prannoy was tad disappointed to miss out on a World championships gold medal but said the bronze meant a lot to him, calling it as the "first starting step" on way to the coveted title. Prannoy's dream run at the World Championships ended after he lost 21-18 13-21 14-21 to world number 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the men's singles semifinal to sign off with a bronze medal. The win extended India's record of having at least one medallist in the showpiece since 2011. "For me, this bronze medal means so much personally because it has been almost 12 years in the circuit, you always want to have those big medals in your hand," he said after the match. "Yes, you are disappointed for not getting the gold but the first starting step is with bronze." The 31-year-old from Kerala thanked the coaching staff and his family for backing him. "A lot of people has done a lot of hard work in the last few years and a lot of things came in place this week. Thanks to a

Our execution was wrong, says Satwiksairaj after World Championship exit

Indian shuttler Satwiksairaj Rankireddy admitted the he and his men's doubles partner Chirag Shetty lacked in their execution during the quarterfinal loss at the World Championships but said the fact that they still managed to make it a close affair shows their "champion mentality". Satwiksairaj and Chirag missed out on a second World Championships medal after suffering a shocking loss to Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark in the men's doubles quarterfinals on Friday. The world number two Indian pair, which had claimed a maiden bronze in the last edition, couldn't produce an attacking game and went down 18-12 19-21 to the 11th seeded Danish combination, the 2021 bronze winners, in a 48-minute battle. "I think the execution was wrong, we played bad but still we were close. We were not comfortable in the match still we were 21-18 21-19, that is champion mentality," Satwik said after the match. Chirag found the going tough, while Satwik tried to keep India in the match

BWF World Championships: Satwik-Chirag, Treesa-Gayatri pairs enter round 3

Star Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals with a comfortable straight-game win over Australian duo of Kenneth Zhe Hooi Choo and Ming Chuen Lim in the World Championships here on Wednesday. Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also produced a solid performance to enter round 3 with a straight-game win over Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun of Chinese Taipei. World No. 2 pair of Satwik and Chirag, who had won a maiden bronze in the last edition, produced a clinical display to see off their Australian rivals 21-16 21-9 in 30 minutes. The reigning Commonwealth Games champions, who have won four titles this season, will face Indonesia's 10th seeds Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin next. Earlier, world number 19 Gayatri and Treesa, who reached the semifinals of the All England Championships in the last two editions, beat Chang and Yang, ranked 37th, 21-18 21-10 in 38 minutes. The India

BWF World Championships: Lakshya Sen counting on recent form to win medal

A maiden medal at the Asian Games and breaking into the world's top 5 remain on his radar but Lakshya Sen's first priority is to extend his rich vein of form at the World Championships. And, he is counting on his recent showing to deliver the goods. After enduring a rough patch, Sen turned around his fortune with a title-winning run in Canada in July and followed it up with two semifinal finishes at the US Open and Japan Open. The 21-year-old from Almora, who claimed a maiden bronze at the World Championships in 2021, will hope to secure another medal when he begins his campaign in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 21. "World Championships being just a week ahead, I feel the past tournaments which I played will really help me go into the tournament," Sen told PTI on the sidelines of the inauguration of Badminton Association of India's National Centre of Excellence here. "The preparation has been good. The past few tournaments, the form has been going well, but there are still a few mo

Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag pair get first-round bye in BWF World Championships

Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu and men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received first-round byes in the BWF World Championships 2023 draw held here on Thursday. This year's BWF World Championships will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark from August 21 to 27. Sindhu, who won the women's singles world title in 2019, however, has been handed a tough draw and she might face Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon and top seed An Se Young of Korea as they are grouped in the top half of the draw. Sindhu is the only Indian to feature in the women's singles competition. The men's doubles combination of World Championships bronze medallists Satwik and Chirag achieved a career-best world no.2 ranking last month following their title triumph in Korea Open and are in the form of their life. India's men's singles challenge will be led by in-form HS Prannoy, seeded second in the upcoming event. He will will face Kalle Koljonen of Finland. The other Indians in the fr

BAI starts trials for Asian Games Selection to be held in Hangzhou, China

BAI started trials for upcoming major world championships as the Asian games are set to begin on September 23 in Hangzhou, China

BWF Junior Championships: Unnati advances to Round of 16, Anupama bows out

Indian shuttler Unnati Hooda advanced to the women's singles Round of 16 at the World Junior Badminton Championships 2022, here on Wednesday

Satwik-Chirag secure India's first men's doubles medal at World C'ships

Star Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Reddy and Chirag Shetty assured themselves of a maiden medal at the World Championships after stunning world number 2 Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan in the quarterfinals here on Friday. The world number 7 Indian combination, which had claimed the Commonwealth Games gold medal earlier this month, dished out a gritty performance to outwit the local favourites and defending champions 24-22 15-21 21-14 in an hour and 15 minute to claim India first-ever men's doubles medal at the prestigious tournament. It was India's second World Championships medal in doubles with Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa claiming the first way back in 2011 in the women's doubles. Earlier, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila's fine run came to an end after the Indian pair lost to three-time gold medallists Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in their men's doubles quarterfinals. The unseeded Indian combination, who had some sensational wins this week, lost 8-21 14-2

BWF World Championship 2022: Saina Nehwal wins; head to head; highlights

Saina Nehwal proceeds to the round of 32 after winning her first match at BWF World Championship 2022. Gayatri Gopichand and Jolly Treesa win against Low Yeen Yuan and Valeree Siow

How does Olympic silver medallist wrestler Ravi Dahiya keep his focus?

Participating in his first Commonwealth Games, India's Olympic silver medalist Ravi Dahiya spoke to Business Standard in a candid interview before departing for Birmingham 2022

Indian campaign ends with Sindhu, Prannoy's quarters loss in Malaysian Open

India's campaign at the Malaysia Open BWF Super 750 badminton event came to an end after PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy lost their respective women's and men's singles quarterfinals at the Axiata Arena, here on Friday.

Badminton Association of India mulls hosting 2 International challengers

There are a total of 31 international challengers tournament that happens in a year with India hosting just one of them in 2022