South Korea Volleyball Team Sent to Wrong Asian Games Venue
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Transport error forces South Korea to cancel training session before Taiwan match
NAGOYA: South Korea’s men’s volleyball team became the latest squad to face a transport mix-up at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after its official bus took the players to the wrong venue.
The incident occurred on Monday morning, when the team was travelling to its scheduled training session ahead of its group match against Taiwan.
According to the Korea Volleyball Association, the organiser-provided shuttle took the players to Okazaki instead of their designated training venue in Inuyama.
The mistake resulted in a significant loss of time, leaving the team with no option but to cancel its morning practice.
A Korean volleyball official said the association had submitted a formal complaint to the organisers through the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.
Despite the disruption, South Korea managed to overcome Taiwan 3-1 in its later match.
The latest incident comes amid several transport-related problems at the Asian Games, where more than 17,000 athletes and officials are taking part.
South Korea’s men’s basketball team also faced a similar issue last week when its bus failed to arrive before the team’s final against Japan. The team eventually won the title despite missing the planned training session.
Pakistan’s men’s volleyball team experienced another transport error on Monday. Their players were taken to the wrong arena before their match against Uzbekistan, resulting in the game being delayed by 45 minutes.
Pakistan captain Murad Jehan criticised the incident in a video posted on Instagram.
The local organising committee later acknowledged the mistake involving both Pakistan and South Korea. Organising committee spokesperson Ayumi Sakamoto said the two teams had left the same accommodation but were assigned to the wrong vehicles.
The committee apologised to both teams and said it would strengthen checks to ensure that teams board the correct buses and that destinations are clearly displayed.
Officials also said steps would be taken to prevent similar transport problems from happening again during the Games.
