Nagoya: The men's national basketball team was unable to attend its scheduled shootaround on Sunday morning, just hours before the final of the Asian Games, due to a no-show of their assigned shuttle bus.
According to Yonhap News Agency, national team officials reported that the team had arranged for a practice session at a gym Sunday morning. However, the shuttle bus, scheduled to pick up the team at around 10 a.m., failed to arrive at the team hotel, leaving the players with no explanation for the mishap.
The South Korean team is competing against Japan for the gold medal in the highly anticipated final at the Aichi International Arena, aiming to secure their first men's basketball gold since 2014. Despite the disruption, a national team official expressed that the players are focusing on maintaining their composure as they prepare for the evening match.
In response to the incident, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced its intention to file a formal complaint with both the Asian Games organizing committee and the Olympic Council of Asia. The KSOC also plans to request a meeting with senior executives from the organizing committee to address the issue.
This incident marks the first day of medal competition following the opening ceremony held the previous night. Men's basketball preliminary matches began on September 10. The Asiad organizers have already faced criticism for logistical issues. The South Korean men's football team experienced similar transportation challenges, and the organizing committee previously apologized for mistakenly playing the North Korean anthem at a South Korean men's field hockey game. Additionally, no anthem was played before a women's handball match between South Korea and Hong Kong on Saturday.
South Korea had earlier lodged a complaint against the organizers for featuring Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a historical Japanese figure known for invading Korea in the late 16th century, during a welcoming ceremony for a cruise ship serving as a floating hotel for athletes.