NAGOYA: South Korea were the victims of another Asian Games transport mix-up in Japan when the bus carrying their men’s volleyball team took them to a venue an hour away from where they were supposed to be.
The Games in Aichi-Nagoya have been dogged by organisational problems, with accommodation and transport for more than 17,000 athletes and officials among the main issues.
South Korea’s volleyball players were forced to cancel their training on Monday morning ahead of their group match against Taiwan later in the day following the latest logistical problem.
“An organiser-provided shuttle bus took our team to Okazaki instead of its training venue in Inuyama yesterday morning,” an official from the Korea Volleyball Association told AFP on Tuesday.
“With too much time lost to turn back, the training was cancelled.
“We lodged a formal complaint to the organisers through the KSOC,” the official added, referring to South Korea’s Olympic committee.
The volleyball team went on to beat Taiwan 3-1.
South Korea’s men’s basketball team were forced to miss training ahead of their final against Japan last week when their bus failed to turn up.
The gaffe did not affect their performance, as they went on to win the title.
Also on Monday, the Pakistan men’s volleyball side were taken to the wrong arena for their match against Uzbekistan, forcing the contest to be delayed by 45 minutes.
“This is another mismanagement by Japan at the ongoing Asian Games,” Pakistan captain Murad Jehan said from the bus in an Instagram video.
A spokesperson for the local organising committee said the Pakistan and South Korea teams had departed from the same accommodation and there was “an error in matching teams to vehicles”.
“Each boarded a bus heading to the wrong destination. We sincerely apologise to both teams for the inconvenience,” said Ayumi Sakamoto.
“We caused great inconvenience and the organising committee takes this seriously,” the spokesperson added.
“It is basic, but we will again make sure boarding teams and vehicle destinations are properly checked and displayed, and work to prevent a recurrence.”
