Revealing the true reason! Why Anders Antonsen, the world’s No. 3 badminton player, chose to pay a fine of over a hundred thousand baht but refused to compete in the India Open.
On 14 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Anders Antonsen, the world’s No. 3 badminton player from Denmark, posted an explanation about withdrawing from the 2026 India Open, a Super750 level tournament, for the third consecutive year despite no injury. The BWF rules require singles players ranked 1-16 to participate, or else face fines.
Antonsen posted on his personal Instagram: “Many have wondered why I have withdrawn from the India Open for the third year in a row. The reason is the severe air pollution problem currently in Delhi. I don’t believe this is a suitable location for holding a badminton tournament at all.”
“I can only hope the situation improves by summer when the World Championships will be held in Delhi. Because of this, BWF has fined me again $5,000 USD (approximately 157,649 baht).”
Antonsen also shared an image showing the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi, India, at hazardous levels — with an AQI of 348 (dark purple/brown category) and PM2.5 concentration reaching 249 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
