PV Sindhu’s coach, Irwansyah Adi Pratama, narrowly escaped harm after an explosion near Dubai Airport disrupted their travel to the All England Championships amidst growing Middle East tensions. As Sindhu and Irwansyah were stranded by suspended flights, they were relocated to a hotel while awaiting updates. The explosion was part of a broad response by Iran involving missile launches, affecting normal operations in the region, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Irwansyah expressed his concern, hoping to resume their journey since Sindhu’s match was approaching. Despite the uncertainty, many Indian players, including Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Lakshya Sen, and others, successfully reached Birmingham for the tournament. However, disruptions hindered some, like Unnati Hooda, whose flight from India was canceled. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is closely monitoring the situation and working with organizers to ensure athletes’ safety and manage travel challenges.
BWF stated it maintains communication with affected teams and is prepared to adjust schedules if arrivals are delayed. Meanwhile, international air travel between major Gulf cities has been suspended, with airlines like Air India canceling flights due to the escalating conflict, which caused airspace restrictions and indefinite suspension of operations at Dubai Airport.