[ASIAN GAMES] 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 men's volleyball squad was scheduled to conduct a morning training session before facing Chinese Taipei in a group stage match later that day.

Due to a bus mix-up, the official transportation took the team to the incorrect location, resulting in the cancellation of their morning training. The organizing committee's spokesperson, Ayumi Sakamoto, acknowledged the committee's grave mistake during a press briefing. The committee admitted that there had been an error in assigning buses to the South Korean and Pakistani volleyball teams at their accommodation.

The bus meant for the South Korean team ended up carrying the Pakistani team, while another bus designated for Pakistan was responsible for picking up the South Korean players. Consequently, the Pakistani team arrived late at the venue, causing a delay in their preliminary-round match. The South Korean team also had to abandon their planned morning training session.