The city’s vibrant badminton community is facing a setback as three of its premier public venues—KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium, Chowk Stadium and Vijayant Khand Stadium — fall into disrepair. Once celebrated as fertile grounds for nurturing Lucknow’s future shuttlers, these grassroots hubs have devolved into a story of chronic neglect, jeopardising the development of young athletes.
These courts are now a story of neglect — cracked surfaces, fading markings, inadequate lighting and a lack of basic maintenance turns practice into a safety hazard.
The badminton hall at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium looks uncared-for. Currently unavailable for shuttlers, its synthetic flooring is worn out in patches, creating an uneven surface and increasing the risk of ankle and knee injuries. Court lines have faded to near invisibility in places, forcing coaches and players to mark temporary boundaries with chalk or tape.
For a stadium that once held national championships and the prestigious Syed Modi Badminton Tournament, these conditions undermine player development, forcing young shuttlers to move to private academies or stop playing.
“We have locked the stadium because the condition of all three courts is bad and we can’t take any risk with shuttlers who could face serious injuries if they continue playing here,” said regional sports officer Atul Sinha.
He, however, said that estimates for repairing the badminton courts at all three stadiums have been submitted to the authorities concerned, and he hopes repair work will begin soon. “Even in the past, repair work was undertaken, and we are trying for the same again,” he added.
The Chowk Stadium, located in one of Lucknow’s busiest neighborhoods, has been promised upgrades for years but remains mired in half-finished repairs. Damp patches on the walls suggest long-term water seepage and the smell of mildew is common after the monsoon.
Overhead lighting is dim (or flickers) during evening sessions, forcing players to stop early. Nearby changing rooms are unhygienic and poorly ventilated, deterring female players from regular use. Such neglect discourages participation.
Both courts at the Vijayant Khand Stadium, despite being newer, have suffered from poor planning and cost-cutting. Big and small holes on the synthetic turf have become permanent eyesores as they reduce the usable court width. The management’s failure to install proper anti-slip flooring has led to multiple minor injuries reported by local shuttlers.
The alleged poor administration at government-run badminton halls has created a quiet crisis for the sport’s next generation. With staff shortages, irregular opening hours and opaque booking systems, formal scheduling has become ineffective. Veteran shuttlers, who come for fun or fitness, have almost controlled the court schedules and practice slots, leaving young shuttlers having reduced access.
“We have a fixed schedule for trainees from 5:30 to 8:30 in the morning and 4 to 7 in the evening. But actual shuttlers, especially trainees, get to play from 2pm to 6pm only as the courts remain occupied by veterans in the morning hours, who mostly play for fitness,” said a coach.
“Aspiring players, who need consistent and structured practice, are often relegated to odd hours or cancelled sessions,” he said, adding, “Despite repeated complaints to authorities, nothing has been done so far.”
Another coach, Devendra Kaushal, said there was no such easy access to veterans in the past at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium. “We had official backing not to allow veterans to disturb the routine training of youngsters as these stadiums are meant to produce talent. But now those strict measures are gone, and trainees have become secondary,” he said.
Kaushal, an ex-coach of the Sports Authority of India, said nowadays parents are forced to shift their badminton-playing kids to private academies — almost 20 in the state capital — and the real system of training has collapsed. “You can find that most of the academies have unqualified coaches, but parents are forced to pay ₹3,000 to ₹15,000 per month, whereas government-run venues charge only ₹100 in a year for a shuttler below 18 years of age.”
He also said the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium, despite being the most popular centre for badminton, has lost its charm. The venue was known for producing ace shuttlers, including eight-time national champion Syed Modi.
