Delhi and the overall country’s deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) has been the topic of conversation for a long time with India Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi the latest to point out the hazardous level of air pollution in India and the national capital.
Sharing a screenshot of Delhi’s AQI on Saturday, which read 598 which is hazardous quality, Gujrathi posted on X, “We are slowly being poisoned and no one cares? Shouldn’t solving this be the top priority?”
The pollution has affected the ongoing India Open badminton tournament at the capital as well with World No.3 Anders Antonsen pulling out of because of the ‘extreme pollution in Delhi’. “Many is (sic) curious to why I have pulled out of the India Open for the third consecutive year. Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment I don’t think it’s a place to host a badminton tournament,” Antonsen had written on an Instagram story earlier this week.
We are slowly being poisoned and no one cares?
Shouldn’t solving this be the top priority ? pic.twitter.com/1qyZvPFLFq— Vidit Gujrathi (@viditchess) January 17, 2026
“Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the Summer when the World Championships will take place in Delhi. As a result BWF once again has fined me 5000 USD,” he wrote. Antonsen also shared a screenshot of air quality in Delhi on the Instagram story, which showed AQI to be 348 and described conditions as hazardous.
Former World champion Loh Kean Yew also took a dig at the air quality in Delhi after defeating HS Prannoy in the pre-quarterfinals of the India Open When asked the reason behind his good record in India, Loh said, “I don’t know, probably the weather here. Everyone’s stamina drops like two levels in these conditions with the haze going on. I was good in Malaysia but my health has dropped a bit after landing here,” he said.
Hosting the India Open in Delhi came in for criticism last year as well, from Danish shuttler Mia Blichfeldt criticising the pollution in the city. Blichfeldt was unhappy with the conditions this year too.
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