The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi, a prominent venue for major sporting events, has recently undergone significant renovations and unique preparations ahead of the Badminton Asia Championships. Beyond standard structural improvements, a considerable effort has been directed towards addressing the perennial challenge of primate interference, a common occurrence in many Indian urban environments.
Officials have meticulously sealed potential entry points such as roof gaps and exhaust vents to prevent unwanted guests. The stadium, initially constructed for the 1982 Asian Games and subsequently refurbished for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has received further enhancements to its overall aesthetic and functionality. Ambar Pratap Singh, the executive director of Sports Authority of India, confirmed that structural upgrades have been implemented across the three primary arenas within the complex. Furthermore, player feedback regarding shadows on the court during the India Open has been addressed, with improved lighting systems now in place to ensure optimal playing conditions.
However, it is the unconventional methods employed to deter monkeys that have garnered the most widespread attention. A video that circulated widely on Indian social media earlier this week depicted an individual seemingly imitating the distinctive calls of a langur. Langurs, large, long-tailed primates indigenous to South Asia, are known to frighten smaller rhesus macaques, a species commonly found in Delhi. While several Indian and international news outlets reported the hiring of individuals specifically to mimic these calls, a senior official, Mr. Mishra, clarified to the BBC that the association had not formally employed anyone for this purpose for the championships. He explained that due to the extensive area of the stadium, a person capable of imitating langur calls was briefly present in the northern block.
The strategy of utilizing langurs to deter rhesus macaques is not a novel concept in India’s capital. During the 2010 Commonwealth Games, authorities deployed actual black-faced langurs at certain venues to scare away the smaller, more pervasive rhesus macaques. More recently, in 2023, when India hosted the G20 summit, officials installed life-size cutouts of langurs across the city in an effort to keep monkeys at bay. This blend of traditional methods and modern infrastructure improvements highlights the unique challenges and creative solutions often encountered when hosting international events in a dynamic urban landscape like Delhi. Even two-time badminton Olympic medalist PV Sindhu commented on this distinctly Indian approach, noting, “Our solutions may be uniquely Indian, but so are our warmth, our spirit and our hospitality.”
