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PV Sindhu has defended the use of “monkey whisperers” to keep rhesus macaques away from the Delhi venue ahead of the 2026 BWF World Championships. Comparing the measure to Wimbledon’s use of Rufus the hawk to deter pigeons, Sindhu said every major event faces local challenges. She expressed confidence India will deliver a world-class tournament and showcase its hospitality.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has come out in strong support of the unusual measures being taken to keep monkeys away from the venue ahead of the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi. Sindhu took to X to dismiss the criticism surrounding the preparations and said every major sporting event has to deal with its own local challenges.

“100%. I genuinely don’t understand the outrage,” Sindhu wrote, pointing to Wimbledon’s long-standing use of Rufus, a hawk employed to keep pigeons away from the All England Club. She argued that using a similar preventive measure in Delhi should not become the primary talking point surrounding India’s preparations to host the prestigious tournament.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has reportedly brought in three experts to imitate langur calls to deter rhesus macaques from the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium complex. The unusual step follows incidents at the India Open last year, when monkeys entered areas around the venue and disrupted proceedings.

Sindhu also highlighted that the monkey-control measure is only one part of the wider preparations being undertaken for the World Championships. “This is just one additional measure on top of the countless measures already being taken. Somehow that becomes the talking point,” she said, urging people to focus on the broader efforts going into staging the event.