Malaysia Open matches delayed due to leaking roof

A couple of opening-day ties in the 2025 Malaysia Open badminton championships today had to be delayed due to a leaking roof at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

A downpour resulted in water seeping through the roof and the leakage affected courts number two and three.

The organisers could be seen using cloths to wipe the courts dry.

During the incident, Malaysian women’s doubles pair Goh Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing were taking on Chin’s Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian on court two while India’s HS Prannoy was in action against Canadian Brian Yang on court three in men’s singles.

At that point, Goh-Teoh were trailing 10-11 in the first game while Prannoy was leading the second game 6-3 after winning the first 21-12.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Stadium Corporation chief executive officer Ilyas Jamil attributed the leakage to roof replacement work at the Axiata Arena since last April.

He said the inclement weather and strong winds made the situation worse and led to rainwater leaking onto the courts.

“This is the first time such an incident has occurred in the court area. We have detected the leak and rectified it to ensure there will be no recurrence.

“We used a canvas to seal the leak,” he said.

Meanwhile, Badminton World Federation event director (tournament operations) S Selvaamresh said they are evaluating the situation before deciding whether to postpone several matches that will be held today.

He added that any decision regarding the matter would be announced by 10pm today.

“We are going to discuss it and we are not playing beyond 1am (Jan 8),” he said.

- Bernama

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