Japanese organizing committee finally apologizes for 'bus no-show'... Korean basketball forced to abandon final training, waits on the street even on return journey 'full of ups and downs' [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games officially apologized for the 'bus no-show' incident experienced by the South Korean men's basketball national team, calling it an obvious error due to missed vehicle allocation. The host nation Japan faced sharp criticism over allegations that it intentionally obstructed Korea's training, prompting efforts to contain the fallout.

The South Korean national team, led by coach Nikolajs Mazuls, requested a bus for 10 a.m. on the 20th to conduct shooting practice at the Nagoya Aichi International Arena ahead of their final match against Japan. However, the scheduled vehicle never arrived, and the players waited in front of their hotel for about 20 minutes before ultimately abandoning the training session.

At the time, Coach Mazuls calmly responded with a coffee break, joking that "thanks to this, we enjoyed a walk in the good weather." Despite the setback, the national team defeated Japan 67-57 in the final match that day and secured the gold medal.

According to Japanese media outlet 'Nikkan Sports' on the 22nd, Takaki Omii, Deputy Director of the Organizing Committee's Secretariat, apologized, stating, "This was an obvious error by our committee due to a mistake that resulted in missed vehicle allocation." He further explained, "We attempted to assign a bus late, but it was already too late, and the Korean side had given up on training."

However, the organizing committee also added that not all transportation delays were their responsibility, noting that vehicle allocation could be missed if requests were submitted after the 3rd p.m. application deadline.

The Korean Olympic Committee plans to send a formal protest letter to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) regarding this no-allocation incident and request a meeting with senior officials from the organizing committee.

Meanwhile, controversies over the organizing committee's operational shortcomings have persisted throughout the Games. Basketball player Yeo Jun-seok posted on social media showing himself waiting on the street with his luggage on the day of departure because no bus arrived. In addition to this, various incidents occurred, including the playing of North Korea's national anthem before men's hockey matches, omission of the women's handball national anthem, transportation of the football team to a baseball stadium, and failure to notify the baseball team about their training venue, leading to growing complaints from participating countries.

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*This content was translated by AI.