The beach volleyball players were supposed to play in India in a top tournament. It was the other way around. The Jari storm gave the final touch to the trip.
10 hours of ignorant waiting at the airport without food or water.
Anniina Muukka and Sara Sinisalo were unwillingly put on quite an experience trip. The beach volleyball players had to play in India in the qualifiers for the Challenge level competition of the beach volleyball world tour.
The couple was supposed to fly to India on Sunday after the tournament played in China. However, the flight via Singapore was cancelled. The new connection was successful on Monday.
The flight landed in the tournament city of Chennai on Tuesday. In connection with the immigration inspection, the Finns were unexpectedly directed aside.
– We were told that you really have these tourist visas, Muukka describes.
The two were told how business visas would be needed to play. This was not just what the tournament organizers had told.
– The most interesting thing is that many other players had gotten in with a tourist visa without any problems, Sinisalo points out.
Tournament organizers and coach Toni Vahela organized invitation letters and documents for the Finnish couple, but nothing helped.
The consequences Muukka and Sinisalo had to wait and wait – without food and water.
– Ten hours later, the decision came: sorry, you have been deported, Muukka smiles.
The couple had taken advantage of the time and were already looking for return flights to Finland. Those were also found.
Anticipation, however, only caused another three-hour wait.
– I hear that when you are deported, you should go back to where you came from. It only became apparent after we bought the tickets. In the end, the airline took us on the flight, Muukka says.
Muukka and Sinisalo made their way to Finland via Doha. The return flight was supposed to take seven hours, but the couple was still met by storm Jari in Finland.
– Once the descent was already started, but then the plane was pulled up. For about an hour we still flew and threw a couple of extra loops, Muukka laughs.
Humor helped the duo cope with the unreal wait. Patience and a twinkle in the eye will also be needed in the future, as Muukka and Sinisalo plan to apply for compensation.
Missing the tournament, combined with the new flights, caused expenses, which made the tight budget of the athletes burst.
– It’s a hard knock on the till. A mistake was made in the visa check already in Singapore, so we hope that we could get some compensation from the airline, Sinisalo reflects.