New Delhi: The pollution in New Delhi is “pretty insane” during January and February, the months when the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament is usually scheduled, and its dates should be rescheduled, said world number four Anders Antonsen.“It’s not pleasant to play in,” Rediff quoted him as saying on Sunday, while engaging in a pre-tournament media interaction at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi. “You kind of get this burning feeling in your throat and you can see it under the lights and everything. It’s not super nice. I don’t think it’s the right decision to host India Open at that time of the year, but now it’s way, way better. When I open the windows in the morning, I can see stuff. But if I do that in January, I can’t see the building next to me…So imagine having your pulse high and trying to fight for air. It’s not a pleasant feeling…You live here, so you know it much better than me, but right now it’s much better. So if I was the BWF [Badminton World Federation], I would host the India Open in another time of the year.”Antonsen had withdrawn from the 2026 India Open because of pollution concerns, and paid the mandatory fine of USD 5,000 – for the third consecutive year. When asked about next year’s India Open, Antonsen said that he would rather accept another USD 5,000 penalty than compete in Delhi during the period when air quality becomes a major concern, Hindustan Times reported.In March this year, the 2025 World Air Quality Report by IQAIR, a Swiss air quality technology company, ranked New Delhi ranked as the most polluted capital in the world, with an average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5, a major air pollutant) at 82.2 µg/m³ in 2025. Pollution levels spike in the national capital in the winter months, due to reasons including vehicular emissions, stubble burning and meteorological factors that prevent the dispersal of air pollutants. Overall, the 2025 World Air Quality Report ranked India as the sixth most-polluted country among 143 countries in 2025.