(Asiad) Asian Games organizers apologize for volleyball team's bus mix-up

NAGOYA, Japan — The organizers of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games expressed regret on Tuesday for a transportation blunder that disrupted the South Korean men's volleyball team's training routine. On Monday, the South Korean volleyball squad was scheduled to conduct a morning practice ahead of their second group stage matchup against Chinese Taipei later that evening. However, their official bus took them to the incorrect location, leading to the cancellation of their morning training.

"We caused significant inconvenience, and the organizing committee takes this matter very seriously," stated Ayumi Sakamoto, spokesperson for the organizing committee, during a press conference. According to the committee, there was an administrative error in allocating buses to both the South Korean and Pakistani volleyball teams at their hotel. The bus designated for the South Korean team inadvertently carried the Pakistani team, while another bus meant for Pakistan picked up the South Korean players.

As a result of this transportation mix-up, the Pakistani team arrived late at the venue, causing a delay in their preliminary-round match. Meanwhile, the South Korean team had to abandon their morning training session.