More Asian Games woes as bus takes Pakistan volleyball team to wrong venue

NNAGOYA – More organisational chaos dogged the Asian Games in Japan on Sept 28 when the official bus carrying the Pakistan men’s volleyball team went to the wrong venue.

Pakistan’s group game with Uzbekistan had to be pushed back 45 minutes because of the mishap.

The bus transporting the Pakistan players was supposed to go to an arena in Okazaki, south-east of Games host city Nagoya.

However, the vehicle mistakenly took them to another Games venue staging volleyball about an hour’s drive away.

“As a result, the team arrived late at the correct competition venue, and we were required to delay the match by 45 minutes,” said an official Games communique.

Pakistan won the match 3-0.

Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan took to Instagram to vent his frustration at what he termed “another mismanagement” at the Games.

“We have a very important match, and the bus driver doesn’t know which gymnasium we are going to play,” he said in a video from the bus.

“He took the wrong way and came to the wrong gymnasium, and now we are short of time. It’s an embarrassing situation,” he added. “We did not expect this from Japan. This should not have happened.”

Jehan said the detour left the squad with no time for a proper warm-up, forcing players to change into their playing kit on the moving bus.

“Really disappointing situation. This is not the only mismanagement that athletes are facing here,” he said, adding food was not always available to athletes at dining areas following their training sessions.

The incident is more embarrassment for red-faced organisers of the Games, where there have been numerous complaints about the accommodation and transport services.

Teams have found that buses sometimes arrive at incorrect times, or even not at all.

South Korea were left furious after the bus that was supposed to take them to light practice before their men’s basketball final against hosts Japan failed to turn up. AFP, REUTERS