S Korean team latest to be bused to wrong venue

South Korea were victims of another Asian Games transport mix-up in Japan when the bus carrying their men’s volleyball team went to a venue an hour away from where they should have gone.

The Games in Aichi-Nagoya have been dogged by organizational problems, with accommodation and transport for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials prime among them.

South Korea’s volleyball players were forced to cancel their practice on Monday morning ahead of the group game with Taiwan later in the day following the latest logistical issue.

The interior of Park Arena Komaki in Aichi, Japan, is pictured on Tuesday last week during the women’s volleyball bronze medal match between South Korea and Thailand.

Photo: AFP

“An organizer-provided shuttle bus took our team to Okazaki instead of its training venue in Inuyama yesterday morning,” an official from the Korea Volleyball Association said yesterday.

“With too much time lost to turn back, the training was canceled,” they said.

“We lodged a formal complaint to the organizers through the KSOC [South Korean Sport and Olympic Committee],” the official added.

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 results as they went on to win the title.

Also Monday, the Pakistan men’s volleyball side were bused to the incorrect arena for their game with Uzbekistan, forcing the contest to be pushed back 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.

Organizers admit there have been cases of official buses turning up at incorrect times, or not at all.

They said they are working to improve transport services and are in close contact with teams to sort out any problems.