Delhi's unusual challenge: Keeping monkeys and pigeons away from top badminton event

Sports authorities in India are taking extra measures to keep monkeys and pigeons away from a major international badminton tournament in Delhi after wildlife intrusions overshadowed another competition earlier this year.

In January, when India hosted the India Open badminton tournament, organisers had hoped the headlines would be about tense matches, some of the world's best players and the excitement of hosting a major tournament in the capital.

Instead, the event became a talking point for very different reasons. There were complaints about air pollution, matches were halted because of pigeon droppings on the court and a monkey was spotted inside the stadium.

Now, as Delhi prepares to host the BWF World Championships from Monday, organisers are taking steps to ensure the focus remains on the sport.

The tournament - one of the biggest events in the badminton calendar - will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from 17 to 23 August.

Officials told the BBC that wooden doors across the stadium have been replaced with double-door systems that lock automatically. High-grade nets have also been installed over openings where birds or animals could potentially enter.

"We have also used a non-toxic gel in places and on handles where the pigeons could have landed as a secondary measure," said Sanjay Mishra, general secretary of the Badminton Association of India.

Other possible entry points, including gaps in the roof and exhaust vents, have also been sealed or repaired, he added.

The stadium has also undergone an overhaul to improve the look and feel of the arena. The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium was built for the 1982 Asian Games and later renovated ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

"Structural upgrades have been carried out at the three major arenas in the stadium," Ambar Pratap Singh, executive director of Sports Authority of India, said in a video posted on social media.

The lighting has also been fixed after players complained during the India Open about shadows appearing on the court, he added.

But it is the efforts to keep monkeys away from the venue that have attracted the most attention ahead of the tournament.

A video showing a man apparently mimicking the call of a langur - large, long-tailed monkeys found across much of South Asia - went viral on social media in India earlier this week.

Langur's calls have traditionally been used to scare away smaller rhesus macaques, which are common in the city.

Several Indian and international news outlets reported that men who mimic langurs had been hired to keep away other monkeys.

Even two-time badminton Olympic medallist PV Sindhu wrote on X: "Our solutions may be uniquely Indian, but so are our warmth, our spirit and our hospitality."

But senior official Mishra told the BBC that the association had not specifically employed anyone as part of measures for the championships.

He said that because the stadium covers a large area, a person who could imitate langur calls was briefly present in the northern block.

The use of langurs to scare away rhesus macaques is not new in India, especially Delhi. During the 2010 Commonwealth Games, authorities used black-faced langurs at some venues to scare away smaller rhesus macaques.

In 2023, when India hosted the G20 summit, authorities put up life-size cutouts of langurs across the capital to scare monkeys away.

But monkeys were only one of the problems at the January games.

During the tournament, a men's singles match between Singapore's Loh Kean Yew and India's HS Prannoy was stopped twice after pigeon droppings fell onto the court.

Then, there was also bad air.

Between October and January, air pollution in northern India - especially capital Delhi - reaches hazardous levels. It happened this year as well and players complained about it.

Singapore's Loh said he struggled to breathe and wore a mask outside his hotel room, while Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt described the conditions as "unhealthy".

For India, the incidents were embarrassing as it seeks to establish itself as a major host of international sporting events. The country is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and has also bid for the 2036 Olympics.

The badminton world championships are an opportunity for India to show that it can stage a major global sporting event and keep attention focused on the competition.

This year's tournament will feature the reigning men's and women's world champions - China's Shi Yuqi and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, respectively.

India will be hoping for a strong performance on home soil, with Sindhu leading its challenge in the women's singles.

For the organisers, there is therefore plenty at stake. They will want the biggest stories from Delhi over the next week to be about the players, the matches and badminton, rather than the wildlife.