Asian Games 2026: Pakistan Volleyball Captain Slams Wrong Venue Blunder and Zero Warm-Up Time (WATCH)

Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan criticized the Asian Games 2026 organizers in Japan after a major logistical blunder took the team to the wrong venue. Despite the transport chaos forcing a 45-minute match delay and players changing on the bus, Pakistan managed to defeat Uzbekistan 3-0.

Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan has hit out at the organisers of the Asian Games 2026 in Japan after the team was taken to the wrong venue for their crucial match against Uzbekistan, plunging their preparation into chaos just an hour before tip-off.

Pakistan defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 in their second match of the group stage at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium on Monday, September 28. Earlier, the Murad Jehan-led side defeated Kazakhstan 3-1 in their group stage opener, continuing their stellar campaign with back-to-back wins at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

As Pakistan managed to secure a crucial victory over Uzbekistan ahead of their final group stage match against hosts Japan, skipper Murad Jehan opened up about the shocking logistical hurdles that nearly derailed their match preparation.

‘We Couldn’t Expect This from Japan’

Pakistan’s volleyball team’s preparation ahead of the Uzbekistan match reportedly took a hit after the team bus was taken to the wrong venue instead of the designated Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium. The players were left with barely an hour to prepare after reaching the correct venue.

Speaking in an Instagram video while travelling to the actual venue, Murad Jehan expressed his disappointment over the severe disorganization, detailing how the squad was forced to hastily change into their playing gear inside the bus itself due to the absolute lack of time.

“This is another mismanagement by Japan at the ongoing Asian Games," Murad said in an Instagram video.

“We have a very important game, and the bus driver does not know in which gymnasium we are going to play.

"We couldn't expect this in Japan. There is a lot of mismanagement. Food is not good, and transport has issues. This is not the way the Asian Games should be conducted,” he added.

Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan has criticised the games management in the Asian Games 2026.#Volleball | #Pakistan | #MuradJehan | #AsianGames2026 | #Japan pic.twitter.com/otDvDwIBi5

— Khel Shel (@khelshel) September 28, 2026

The latest complaint regarding the mismanagement by the Asian Games organizers comes as athletes and teams have been increasingly vocal about persistent logistical flaws affecting various delegations in Aichi-Nagoya.

Since the Aichi-Nagoya Games don’t have an athletes' village, the participants were instead dispersed across hotels, temporary container housing, and a chartered cruise ship, logistical snarls and transportation mishaps have severely impacted multiple delegations throughout the event.

Match Delayed by 45 Minutes

After the Pakistan men’s volleyball team was taken to the wrong venue by the bus driver, the official Games communique confirmed that the fixture had to be pushed back by 45 minutes to accommodate their frantic arrival from an arena roughly an hour away.

According to the official Games communique, the transport vehicle mistakenly headed to an entirely different venue instead of the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium, located southeast of the host city, which was an hour away from the intended venue.

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

Pakistan's volleyball team registered its second consecutive win in the ongoing Asian Games with a comfortable 3-0 win over Uzbekistan 🇵🇰👏 pic.twitter.com/lHAURuasjZ

— Muneeb Farrukh (@Muneeb313_) September 28, 2026

Meanwhile, the South Korea basketball team has faced a similar experience when their assigned shuttle bus failed to show up ahead of their final match against hosts Japan, forcing them to miss a crucial pre-game shooting session.

The increased complaints over mismanagement by Asian Games organisers have put further scrutiny on the logistical arrangements at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, particularly concerning transportation and athletes' preparation time.