Back Home After Dubai Ordeal, Sindhu Worried About Ranking Loss

MUMBAI –  The last few days have been as bad as a nightmare and an ordeal never experienced for Indian badminton legend PV Sindhu, as the two-time Olympic medallist was stranded in Dubai on her way to England because flights were cancelled due to the Middle East crisis triggered 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 avenues open for her onward journey to England, she had to withdraw from the prestigious event and return home by the first available flight to India from Dubai, prioritizing her safety.

“I tried every possible way to go to Birmingham for the All-England, but that was not possible. I even considered taking alternate routes, even 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,” said Sindhu in a media interaction organized by the Sports Authority of India.

Now that she is safe and sound 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 on the calendar, the Swiss Open, to be held in Basel from March 10 to 15.

Sindhu has been told that the $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.

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.

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. (IANS)