CHENNAI: It was a moment that left her shaken and helpless. Stranded at the Dubai International Airport since Saturday due to ongoing conflict in the West Asia, it has been a harrowing experience for ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who is travelling in order to take part in the All England Championships scheduled to be held from March 3 to 8. Sindhu, who was supposed to board a flight for Birmingham, has been stuck at the airport along with her team members — coach, training, physio et all, just waiting to get out of this tense situation.
Sindhu is not alone. The closure of airspace over gulf has forced the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to change travel plans for shuttlers who were supposed to leave for England later than Sindhu. The BAI, along with the help of Sports Authority of India, has that some of the shuttlers are now leaving via airports in Africa and Singapore. The New Indian Express has learnt that Unnati Hooda is taking a longer flight via Ethiopia after the airspace over West Asia was shut down following Israel's attack of Iran. At the same time some of the top shuttlers have already reached England.
The BAI, who is in regular touch with Sindhu and other shuttlers, has been constantly looking to help them get out of the situation but to no avail. And so has been the sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India. "The last few hours have been extremely tense. We could hear the sounds of interceptions overhead and a few hours later there was an explosion very close to where we were holed up at Dubai airport. My coach was barely about 100 metres away from where it happened and had to quickly move out of the area. Experiencing something like this in such close quarters truly shakes you," Sindhu, via a video, summed up her ordeal so far on Sunday.
"The last few hours have been extremely tense. We could hear the sounds of interceptions overhead and a few hours later there was an explosion very close to where we were holed up at Dubai airport. My coach was barely about 100 metres away from where it happened and had to quickly move out of the area. Experiencing something like this in such close quarters truly shakes you."
The situation, as things stand, is grave. So much so that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has stepped in and said that they are also closely monitoring the situation. "The Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton England are closely monitoring the travel challenges arising from the ongoing geopolitical situation in the Middle East. We remain in regular contact with teams and players whose journeys to Birmingham for the YONEX All England Open 2026 may be affected," the BWF said on Sunday.
While Sindhu is at the heart of crises, there are other shuttlers who had also been affected. Unnati's initial flight from India was cancelled but later on Sunday, she had found an alternate flight via Africa. She is set to travel from Mumbai at 4 AM on Monday. Coach U Vimal Kumar was also supposed to travel on Sunday but his flight was also affected. Given the uncertainty, Vimal cancelled his trip. As per BAI, national chief coach Pullela Gopichand is expected to leave on Monday. "We are closely monitoring the situation. We have been in regular touch with Sindhu. She is okay and he is not stepping out of the hotel. Even the ministry and SAI are looking to get clearance. It's tough for her and her team, but we hope to find a solution soon," Sanjay Mishra, BAI general secretary, told The New Indian Express.
Among those who have already reached Birmingham are doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Malvika Bansod, Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty. Incidentally, Satwik and Chirag had just managed to escape the ordeal as their flight was just an hour before Sindhu's original schedule, as per BAI.
As the cream of shuttlers, including World No 1s in all categories come from Asia, more shuttlers' travels are bound to be affected due to this ongoing conflict. It's a real concern for everyone associated with the sport. The All England, the oldest badminton event, is considered to be one of the prestigious events and the BWF is also taking the concerns earnestly.
"The safety and well-being of all athletes, officials and support personnel remain our highest priority. BWF is working with the tournament organisers and national associations to assess travel conditions, while our operations teams maintain real-time oversight of the situation and stand ready to assist delegations experiencing delays or route changes. This includes reviewing and preparing potential contingencies within the competition schedule should any players experience delayed arrival. We will continue to share updates as the situation evolves and more information becomes available," the BWF added.
