Mumbai, March 3 – The past few days have been a nightmare for PV Sindhu, the Indian badminton legend, as she was stranded in Dubai on her way to England due to flight cancellations caused by the US-Israel attack on Iran.
Sindhu, who was on her way to Birmingham to participate in the All-England badminton championship, was stranded in Dubai for a couple of days. With no way to continue her journey to England, she had to withdraw from the prestigious event and return home by the first available flight from Dubai to India, prioritizing her safety.
"I tried every possible way to go to Birmingham for the All-England, but it wasn't possible. I even considered taking alternate routes, and last night I was exploring various routes, one of which would have involved three stops and a 24-hour journey, and I would have reached Birmingham on Thursday, but by that time, the All-England would have already started," Sindhu said in a media interaction organized by the Sports Authority of India.
Now that she is safe in her hometown, Hyderabad, Sindhu's main concern is how this withdrawal will affect her BWF World Rankings and how she will be able to reach Switzerland for the next event, the Swiss Open, to be held in Basel from March 10 to 15.
Sindhu has been told that the USD 5000 penalty for not participating in a major tournament will be waived, as this is an unprecedented event and the circumstances were beyond her control. The ranking loss is something the BWF has yet to decide on, and they have told Sindhu they will get back to her.
"They said they will get back to me, and I am waiting for their response. They asked for my views, and I have told them that, and I will also talk to them as a member of the Athletes Commission," Sindhu said.
Describing it as the worst ordeal she has ever encountered, Sindhu said she was in contact with the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body, from February 28, the day she landed in Dubai, and was told that the airport had been shut down and all flights suspended.
"Soon after I landed in Dubai on the 28th (February 28) at 1 pm, we were told that all flights were suspended. We didn't know how it was outside and what the situation was going to be because they told us to wait for some time. And then they said the flight was delayed.
"And then they said the airspace was closed. So it was like, you know, what was happening? It was very stressful. At that point in time, when we were at the airport, because it was completely different from the time my colleagues, like the doubles team, took off from Dubai," said Sindhu.
The biggest scare was experienced by her Indonesian coach, Irwansyah Adi Pratama, who was still at the airport when an explosion occurred. "He called us from the airport, telling us that there was a big sound around 100m from him and there was a lot of smoke. We were not sure whether it was a drone attack or a missile. But he was safe, and the authorities soon got him out of the airport, and he was taken to a hotel. It was very scary, and we were very worried about how things would turn out. We were getting regular messages from the UAE authorities to stay indoors and not to move out. Only last night, the Emirates people said there was a flight to India, and I decided to take that as safety comes first," said Sindhu.
Sindhu thanked the Indian government and the staff of the Indian Consulate in Dubai for helping her tackle the situation. "They were very helpful, the officials inquired about my well-being, the Sports Minister sir called me, and also officials of the Telangana government. I am thankful to them for their help in this tough situation," said Sindhu.
Sindhu admitted that she and her team were scared by the entire situation, but they kept in touch and comforted each other. They also received support from other Indians staying at the same hotel. "I am disappointed in missing out on the All-England because I had prepared a lot for it. But in the end, safety comes first, and I had to withdraw from it as it was not possible to reach there," said Sindhu.
