Bengaluru: Ace shuttler P V Sindhu and her team finally landed back safely in India on Tuesday after their three-day ordeal in Dubai after being stranded in Dubai following the West Asia crisis.
Sindhu will miss the All England Open badminton championship at Birmingham from Tuesday, where she was headed when she got stranded at the Dubai airport.
The two-time Olympic medallist and her coach were left stranded after flight operations were suspended following the tension in Middle East.
During her prolonged stop-over at Dubai, Sindhu reported hearing an explosion, apparently caused by an Iranian drone that was either intercepted by the UAE’s air defences or actually landed nearly.
Sindhu (30), confirmed her safe return to Bengaluru through a social media post, as reported by Deccan Herald.
“Back home in Bangalore and safe The last few days have been intense and uncertain, but I’m truly grateful to be back to my house. A heartfelt thank you to the incredible ground teams, Dubai authorities, airport staff, immigration, and every single person who stepped up and took such good care of us during a very difficult time. The empathy and professionalism meant more than words can say. For now, it’s time to rest, reset, and figure out the next step,” she posted.
A former world champion, she was on her way to Birmingham, when flight operations were suspended in the Gulf region following Iran’s retaliation to airstrikes on the country by the US and Israel.
On February 28, she had posted: “Moments like these remind you how fragile normal life really is.”
She had described the experience as an “extremely tense and scary moment” for her and her team, including Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama.
Sindhu’s episode highlights how such conflict affects all activities, including global sports events.
