Asian Games 2026: Shooters Face Bus Chaos After Accident Delays Transport in Nagoya (WATCH)

Shooting contingents at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya faced severe transport delays due to a road accident, leaving athletes stranded. The Indian Sports Ministry intervened by arranging private transport to ensure their shooters reached the venue. Despite the chaos, India secured multiple gold medals in shooting and archery.

The shooting contingents of several countries faced transport chaos in Nagoya on Wednesday morning after a road accident delayed official shuttle buses, leaving athletes waiting at their hotels on Wednesday, September 30.

There were two distinct shooting events taking place at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, including the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol Stage 1 and the team and trap mixed team events. The Indian shooting duo of Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai clinched the gold medal in the trap mixed team with a record-breaking score of 34.

The shooting event has entered the final stages, with the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol Stage 1 taking place on Wednesday, while the trap mixed team event has already concluded, with India taking home their ninth gold medal at the continental event.

Shooters Stranded at Hotel Because of Bus Delay

The ongoing Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya has already been under scrutiny over logistics issues, accommodation of athletes, and transport arrangements, with the latest transit mishap adding an unnecessary layer of stress for athletes preparing for high-stakes medal events.

As per the reports, the shooters from several countries were left stranded in hotel lobbies as a traffic accident gridlocked local routes, pushing scheduled departure times far past the clock with no immediate backup transport in sight. The shooters were reportedly ready for departure by 8:40 am, but the scheduled bus didn’t even arrive until after 8: 45 am, leaving athletes waiting in the hotel lobby.

Since the accident near the shooting range had caused heavy traffic congestion on the route, the official shuttle buses reportedly got caught in the resulting bottleneck, delaying the movement of athletes to the venue.

Meanwhile, the Indian Sports Ministry came to the rescue of the shooting contingent by arranging dedicated private transport, ensuring that the Indian shooters were not affected by the bus delays and could reach the venue on time rather than relying entirely on the stalled official shuttles.

Earlier, Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan had also called out the event's organisers over major logistical blunders, revealing that the bus took them to the wrong venue instead of the original location for their group stage match against Uzbekistan.

A Raining Gold for India on Day 11 of the Asian Games

The travel delay due to the morning transit chaos did little to dampen India's medal hunger, as the Indian shooting duo of Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai put up an exemplary performance in order to take home the gold medal.

This was India’s third gold and the 15th overall in shooting, further strengthening the country’s medal haul at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Apart from shooting, Indian archers have contributed significantly to India’s medal tally, alongside athletics.

On Day 11, the Indian archery contingent won three gold medals, which include the compound mixed team, women’s compound team, and men's compound team, completing a historic clean sweep of all three compound archery gold medals on a blockbuster day for the country.

With four gold medals, India’s tally now stands at 59 medals, including 10 gold, 21 silver, and bronze, and moved to the seventh spot on the medal tally, where China (269), hosts Japan (191), and South Korea (99) continue to set the pace at the top.