After All England, Swiss Open in doubt for PV Sindhu; BWF waives $5,000 fine for no-show in Birmingham | Badminton News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu returned to India after being stranded in Dubai since February 28 following the closure of airspace in West Asia due to an escalating conflict in the region. As a result, she had to miss the All England Badminton, which started in Birmingham on Tuesday.Go beyond the limit with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!On Tuesday, Sindhu said she might also miss the Yonex Swiss Open, a Super 300 event in Basel scheduled from March 10 to 15, due to limited flight operations in the Gulf region and unavailability of tickets on most airlines. The tournament carries a prize pool of $250,000 (approximately Rs 2.1 cr).“Swiss Open is definitely a target. But right now all the flights are full. I have been trying every day to book myself on one of them but there are no tickets available. Everything goes through Dubai and it has been a challenge. We all know that taking the flight route to Dubai is risky. Let’s see what happens in the coming days,” Sindhu said in a media interaction facilitated by SAI.“I am looking for options, but nothing has worked out so far. I also have to think about my coach (Indonesian Irwansyah Adi Pratama) and his safety.” Sindhu said the Badminton World Federation has waived a $5,000 financial penalty for her no-show at the All England, recognizing the extraordinary situation. However, discussions over a possible loss of her ranking points ahead of a season with the CWG, Asian Games and World Championships are ongoing, with Sindhu expecting an amicable resolution due to “extraordinary circumstances”.“There are BWF rules for skipping Super 1000 or Super 750 tournaments by top players. If the world body doesn’t find the reasons valid, they can fine a player $5,000. I wrote an email to BWF from Dubai. They understood my situation as it was probably the first time something like this happened and they waived my punishment. That was a relief.”“About the ranking points, they told me to send a joint email detailing my circumstances. I am waiting for their response. They will announce the decision within a day,” said Sindhu, who is also a member of BWF’s Athletes Commission.“I pray this is the first and last time I experience something like this. It will be hard (to forget). You train so hard and then something completely out of your control stops you from competing in a big event.”