Ashwini Bhat recalls traumatic experience of being stuck in Dubai

Bengaluru

The off-season has arrived at the right time for top-ranked badminton player Ashwini Bhat. This follows her harrowing experience in Dubai due to the recent conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran. Ashwini had a layover in Dubai while returning to India from Germany after competing in the German Open in February. Ashwini and Shikha Gautam are a top-ranked national women’s doubles pair. Describing the Dubai airport experience as traumatic, Ashwini recounted what she endured during those tense days.

The ordeal began as the players were going through the boarding process; alarm bells rang, warning everyone in the airport to evacuate. Ashwini, along with Gautam and other passengers, was escorted to a hotel arranged by Emirates, where they were provided with food and shelter. After clearing immigration for over an hour, they were taken by a buggy to their rooms. “So we sat in the buggy, and I don’t know what happened, but they took the buggy about 100 or 200 metres forward and I heard the missile interception and the whole earth was shaking.

It was so traumatic,” Ashwini said. The players’ phones were also ringing with alarms. Extremely worried, Ashwini and her companions rushed back to their hotel rooms. Later, as she tried to sleep, alarms rang through her phone again and further missile interceptions were heard. “The hotel was also evacuating people, but they didn’t have any bunkers, so we ended up going to the conference hall in the basement. We were all there until 4 am and then tried to take a nap,” she said.

She also said they later realised the Emirates property was located near Jebel Ali Port. “We could see the interceptions and the whole thing. A lot of smoke and everything,” Ashwini said. P.V. Sindhu was also caught in the same situation. Two days after landing and witnessing the missiles, the passengers were informed they would be returning to India. Their flight was escorted by two fighter jets. “It was really traumatic. Any sound — a chair being pulled or firecrackers for the Indian team winning the T20 World Cup — felt like the interceptions were happening again; it was so bad,” Ashwini shared.

Still reeling from the experience, Ashwini is now taking a holiday to divert her mind while planning her training for the upcoming season. “And now, for the next one and a half months, we have time for good off-season training. So, we are trying to make the most out of the gap we have,” she said. The pair’s main goal is to qualify for the Asian Games in September. Consequently, after the break, they will compete in as many international tournaments as possible to improve their ranking before the cut-off date.

The pair make a strong team, and Ashwini spoke confidently about their mutual understanding. She noted that having played together for so long and being friends off the court has been very positive, allowing them to enjoy the sport without feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of competition. Having faced the best in the world, the player complimented top competitors such as Japan’s Fukushima and Matsumoto and China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, stating that she admires their style and game. An admirer of Saina Nehwal, she aims to achieve much more and is looking forward to the challenges of the upcoming season.