It was a terrifying experience: Sindhu recalls Dubai ordeal

Back home after being stranded in Dubai for a couple of days, P.V. Sindhu was admittedly disappointed at missing out on the prestigious All England championships but agreed that safety considerations were paramount.

“It was a terrifying experience, it was the first time going through something like that and hopefully the last,” Sindhu said during an interaction with select media late on Tuesday evening. “It was worse because there was little information also, given the uncertain situation. We were informed that the airspace had been shut and were accommodated at the transit hotel itself.

“What made it more scary was the coach (Irwansyah) was still at the airport when he heard a loud noise less than 100m away. Many people including him were then evacuated and taken to a different hotel,” she explained.

Sindhu was, however, all praise for the Indian authorities including the consulate officials for facilitating the return.

“It is obviously not ideal to miss the All England. I have written to the BWF explaining the situation and they have been very positive since the situation is so unusual.

“I should hear from them in a day or two with clarity on how the rankings, participation and other things will pan out. I think the penalty for missing the competition ($5000) will be waived off since the situation was beyond my control. I am now hoping to find a way to make it to the Swiss Open next week. It is not easy because all the flights are either packed or cancelled,” she said.