P V Sindhu recalls harrowing Dubai ordeal that forced her out of All England Championships, says, ‘I hope it’s…’

P V Sindhu shares her harrowing experience of being stranded in Dubai amid Gulf airspace closures, causing her to miss the All England Championships.

PV Sindhu, US-Iran conflict, Sports Authority of India, Ram Mohan Naidu, Mansukh Mandaviya, All England Championships, Badminton World Federation, — P V Sindhu recalls harrowing Dubai ordeal that forced her out of All England Championships

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu opened up on her horrifying experience during her three-day ordeal in Dubai, describing the experience as one she hopes never to repeat.

Sindhu was stranded in Dubai after airspace in the Gulf region was closed following the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory actions. The Indian shuttler has now returned home, having been forced to withdraw from the All England Championships in Birmingham. She had planned to travel to Birmingham via Dubai but was unable to due to the travel disruptions.

“Obviously, there was a lot of stress. And it was scary. I think the only thing maybe was to stay calm. I know that’s not the ideal situation where you say we are calm, but we’re not inside,” Sindhu said during a media interaction facilitated by Sports Authority of India (SAI).

“Actually, it is very stressful. But I think it is an experience, I must say. And I hope it’s the first and the last experience like this way. But yeah, I think we were calm, the whole team was calm.”

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Sindhu revealed she explored every possible way to reach the UK

Sindhu, who was scheduled to face Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the opening round narrowly escaped an explosion near Dubai airport. The Indian shuttler revealed that she explored every possible way to reach the UK for the prestigious event, including traveling overland to Oman or returning to India to take a longer, indirect path to Birmingham.

“I tried every possible way but there were no flights. And (if I had even taken circuitous route), maybe I would reach on Thursday, so you can’t do anything.

“I got a call from Emirates last evening that there are flights to India. I was sad that I couldn’t play the tournament. But my safety was very important. My life was very important. So, it’s okay now. It is a bit sad that I couldn’t play. But again it’s important to be safe.”

Sindhu also thanked Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, MoS for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse, and the Indian Consul General in Dubai for their assistance in ensuring her safe return to India.

Sindhu recounts the explosion that occurred just 100 meters away

Sindhu revealed that she and her coach arrived at Dubai airport on February 28 at 1 PM, only to be informed 15 minutes later that all flights had been suspended, marking the start of their ordeal.

“Just a few hours before my landing, my colleagues like the doubles and singles players actually took off from Dubai to Birmingham. So it was just like those few hours, if I would have gone before, I would have reached Birmingham,” she rued.

Sindhu also spoke about the explosion just 100m away from her coach, “After waiting for a couple of hours, we were taken to transit hotel. The whole process took a lot of time because the airport was in a chaos, all the flights from different countries got cancelled. The trains weren’t working and immigration was shut.

“Then we finally got out and we were going to the hotel and my coach was actually in the airport itself. We got a call from the coach saying there was a big sound. I don’t know if it was explosion or debris or drone. There was lot smoke and people ran out.

BWF has lifted the USD 5,000 penalty on Sindhu

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has lifted the USD 5,000 penalty on Sindhu for missing the 2026 All England Open, taking into account the extraordinary circumstances she faced.

“Generally when you don’t play big tournaments like Super 1000 or Super 750, the top 1 to 15 players in the world, there’s a penalty of USD 5000 (Rs 4,50,00). But if there’s a reason, if you’re injured or obviously these situations are like you never expect it to happen. It’s the first time it has ever happened like this.”

“So, in these situations, I’ve actually explained them (BWF) my situation and they said, okay, we will waive off the penalty because we understand that it’s fair like you cannot do anything. You’re stuck in between a war situation and you cannot do anything.”

Will Sindhu’s Dubai ordeal affect her World ranking?

Sindhu also opened up about the potential impact on her ranking points, “I have explained them in a mail. They (BWF) will come back to me. It’s a very different situation which nobody might have faced until now. It’s just me, it has never come up this way.

“They’ve also asked me to actually tell them in a collaborative way saying what do you actually think from your point of view?

“Being an Athletes Commission member (of BWF), I will put my views, but they’re also going to explain me from their side how it works. They will reply in a day or two. So, let’s see. We will definitely come into an equal ground.”