Antonsen has even chosen to stay away from the tournament due to the poor conditions.
"Many are curious as to why I have withdrawn from the India Open for the third successive year. Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment, I do not think it is a place to stage a badminton tournament."
"Fingers crossed that things will be better this summer, when the World Championships will be held in Delhi. As a result of the cancellation, the BWF (The International Badminton Federation has once again fined me $5,000", Antonsen writes on Instagram.
Mia Blichfeldt who has qualified for the second round of the tournament to be played on Thursday agrees with her Danish compatriot and says that "the situation has not improved from last year" and urges BWF to take note ahead of major events.
She says, “The conditions are really poor. It was dirty last year and it is no different this year as well. I hope the BWF will seriously look into the venue conditions because this is not fit for players to compete in, especially if this venue is supposed to host something as big as the World Championships.”
In the interview, Mia Blichfeldt explains in detail that it is the cold and damp conditions that pose the biggest problems, especially in the KD Jadhav Stadium training arena, which is located almost 300 meters from the tournament arena.
"All players warm up in two layers of pants and with winter jackets, gloves and hats. This is not good warm-up preparation for a player who has to go on the court and move quickly."
"When I arrived at the training arena on Monday, there were birds flying around the court. I don't think I need to say that it is very unhealthy and abnormal. I don't think that many other athletes would play in these conditions", says Blichfeldt, stating that she believes that everyone around the tournament is doing what they can to improve the conditions.
According to BBC pollution was measured in Delhi that was 30 times higher than the recommended limits from the World Health Organization in December last year.