Badminton India Open

Some women fans wear scarves, some don't, but it makes no difference to their love for the shuttle sport.

She reckons badminton and sport gives Indonesians an identity, threads of which they can pick up anywhere in the world. It’s during one of these tight games against the Chinese when the Minions found support in the Indian crowd that Nova and her friend Indri from the embassy made friends with Indians. With Indian names drying up by Friday, and given the rare opportunity to watch global stars they only see on TV and internet streams right in front of them, Indian crowds have built up a vibe that every foreign name acknowledges in their media interactions. Nova grew up in Jakarta and said nothing gave Indonesia the sort of global acclaim and respect that badminton consistently does. “In Indonesia, it’s a matter of individual choice,” says Nova, who says the religion of athletes and fans, and dress codes never interfered with sport. Everyone plays, like in the park or anywhere, you don’t need a field,” she says, adding that watching football can get forbidding at times, with a skewed male ratio in stands, “like anywhere else.” But badminton stadiums are where everyone joins in the revelry, the women in equal or bigger numbers.