‘No Food, Wrong Location’: Pakistan Captain Flags Asian Games Mismanagement after Another Win

Sports Desk 

NAGOYA: Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan has criticised the organisers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after his team was taken to the wrong venue shortly before their Pool A match against Uzbekistan on Monday, describing the logistical arrangements as “unacceptable”.

Murad said the team bus was taken to the wrong gymnasium just an hour before the scheduled match, leaving the players to change into their playing kits on the bus and giving them virtually no time for a proper warm-up.

In a video posted on Instagram, a visibly frustrated Murad described the incident as another example of mismanagement, saying the players had been forced to prepare for the match while still travelling to the venue.

“Japan has destroyed the dignity and discipline of the Asian Games,” Murad wrote on Instagram, describing the situation as “really disappointing” and “embarrassing”. “We have a very important match and the bus driver doesn’t know which gymnasium we are going to play at,” he said in the video. “He took the wrong route and brought us to the wrong gymnasium, and now we are short of time. It’s an embarrassing situation.”

Murad said the Pakistan team had not expected to encounter such logistical difficulties while competing in Japan. He also raised concerns over food arrangements for the athletes, alleging that hotel restaurants were sometimes closed when the team returned from training, leaving players without access to meals.

“Sometimes when you come back from training, the restaurant at the hotel is closed and you don’t get food,” he wrote.

The concerns over food arrangements have also been raised by Indian athletes competing at the Games in Nagoya, with reports of similar difficulties affecting athletes’ access to meals. Pakistan, however, overcame the disruption to secure their second consecutive victory in the competition, defeating Uzbekistan 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium. The victory kept Pakistan at the top of Pool A as they prepare for their final group-stage match against hosts Japan. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarter-finals.

Murad led Pakistan’s scoring with 14 points, while Musawer Khan contributed 13, Mohammad Hamad scored 11 and Usman Faryad Ali added 10. The Pakistani side had opened its men’s volleyball campaign with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan on Sunday.

The team is seeking its first Asian Games volleyball medal since the modern six-a-side format was introduced. Pakistan’s best performance came in 1962, when the team won a bronze medal in Jakarta. Pakistan finished fifth at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and entered the 2026 competition hoping to improve on that performance.

While the team has made a strong start on the court with two consecutive victories, Murad’s comments have shifted some of the attention to the logistical and welfare issues confronting the players away from competition. Despite the difficulties reported ahead of their Uzbekistan match, Pakistan produced another convincing performance to remain firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stage. The team will now face hosts Japan in its final Pool A fixture, with the result potentially determining its position heading into the quarter-finals.