India’s double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was forced to withdraw from the ongoing 2026 All England Open Super 1000 after being stranded at the Dubai airport due to the ongoing conflict in the middle east.
The Badminton World Federation, the global governing body for the sport, imposes fines on top ranked players, who usually miss top level tournaments like Super 750 and Super 1000. For example, Denmark’s Anders Antonsen was fined for pulling out of the 2026 India Open earlier this year due to the heightened pollution in the country during the time.
Sindhu revealed that the BWF has agreed to waive off the fine on her following her withdrawal from the prestigious All England Open.
“It’s a penalty of $5,000 when you miss such tournaments,” Sindhu told reporters in an interaction felicitated by Sports Authority of India on Tuesday, after reaching back safely to India.
“I explained my situation to BWF and they agreed to waive off the penalty. They understood that you can’t do anything when you are stuck in a war situation,” she added.
The Dubai airspace was closed as the geopolitical situation in the region dramatically escalated just after Sindhu’s flight landed in the city. A few of the other Indian shuttlers, meanwhile, were able to lift off from Dubai just hours earlier.
The 2019 world champion rued that she could have reached Birmingham for the 2026 All England Open, if she had taken an earlier flight.
Sindhu was stuck in the Dubai airport for hours before finally getting a voucher for a hotel. Just as she reached her hotel room, she received a call from her coach, who was still at the airport, about hearing an explosion.
“I don’t know if it was an explosion or debris or it was a drone, but there was a big sound and there was a lot of smoke and they had to run outside. The airport authorities arranged transport and brought them out and put them in a different hotel,” said Sindhu.
