Even After Winning Gold, Men's Basketball Team Faces Another Bus No-Show and Bizarre Wait on Their Way Home

Unable to train before final against Japan due to "bus no-show"
Players stranded on return home as transportation delays continue
Ongoing controversy over athletes' village transportation and accommodation issues

The South Korean men's basketball team, which claimed the Asian Games title for the first time in 12 years, was reportedly stranded due to bus issues even on their way back home. On the day of the final, the team had to cancel their scheduled training because the bus to the training venue never arrived; a similar situation was repeated on their return journey. This has reignited criticism of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games' event management. In addition, a series of problems have arisen around the start of the Games: leaks in the container accommodations, transportation disruption, being sent to the wrong stadiums, prevention of bringing in the South Korean flag, the appearance of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the playing of the North Korean anthem instead of the South Korean anthem, omission of national anthems, and scoreboard errors -- all of which have resulted in both major and minor accidents.

The South Korean men's basketball team, which won the Asian Games championship for the first time in 12 years, was reportedly stranded due to bus issues even on their way back home. Photo by Yeo Junseok Instagram

On the 21st, Yeo Junseok, a member of the South Korean men's basketball team, posted a message on his social media that read, "Even on our last day, the bus isn't coming," along with a photo of the players waiting for their transport vehicle. The image shows players, surrounded by their luggage, either staring at the floor or leaning on their suitcases. It captures the exhausted team waiting for a ride after the previous day's final match against Japan.

The team had already experienced bus problems just one day earlier. On the morning of the 20th, South Korea was scheduled for a separate shooting practice at a gym ahead of their men's basketball final against host nation Japan at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya. However, the transport vehicle, which was supposed to arrive at their accommodation around 10 a.m., never showed up, with no explanation, forcing the team to cancel their practice altogether.

Because their opponent in the final was the host nation, there were suspicions online that these transport issues were intended to disrupt the South Korean players' performance. In response, the Korea Sports & Olympic Committee lodged complaints with both the local organizing committee and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and requested a meeting with a senior figure from the organizing committee. Despite adversity, South Korea defeated Japan 67-57. This marked their first Asian Games men's basketball gold medal in 12 years, and their fifth overall, since the 2014 Incheon Games.

Players left waiting endlessly next to their luggage

The problem is not limited to the South Korean men's basketball team. On the 16th, just before the opening of the Games, athletes from several countries -- including China, India, Sri Lanka, and Kazakhstan -- were forced to wait for hours near Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya, unable to reach their accommodations.

The photo shows players leaning on their luggage and various bags, staring at the floor or resting their bodies on their suitcases. It captures the exhausted players waiting for the transport vehicles after the previous day's final match against Japan. Photo by Yeo Junseok Instagram

The Chinese national teams in table tennis, gymnastics, and wushu found that their accommodation information could not be confirmed on the system, while the badminton team’s scheduled vehicle failed to arrive on time. The handball team reportedly did not have any vehicle booking at all. Some athletes waited for as long as four to six hours at the airport before finally being transported to their accommodations. This suggests that the South Korean basketball team's "bus no-show" is likely not a problem targeted at a particular country, but rather a symptom of broader disarray in the event's transport and allocation systems.

Accommodation issues had already become a concern before the Games began. In order to reduce costs and for sustainability reasons, the event's organizing committee chose not to construct a large athletes’ village, unlike previous international multi-sport events. Instead, teams were dispersed to hotels, a large cruise ship called the Costa Serena, and container-type prefab accommodations near Nagoya Port.

The South Korean men’s basketball team, too, stayed in a container-type accommodation. Each building was about 70 square meters in size, designed to house up to six people, with each single bed 195 centimeters long. The layout was inevitably inconvenient for the basketball team, which has multiple players around two meters tall. In fact, team member Byun Junhyeong posted on social media about water leaking in the bathroom, pooling on the floor, highlighting his discomfort. During the record rainstorm in Nagoya on the 8th, hundreds of athletes and staff staying in the container accommodations even had to evacuate temporarily.

Continuous incidents: leaky container rooms and soccer team transported to wrong venue

Other nations also expressed dissatisfaction. China's Xinhua News Agency reported that multiple delegation officials raised concerns about cramped rooms, small beds, and leaks. Some national teams independently arranged for hotel rooms. In contrast, the OCA defended the decision not to build a new athletes’ village, calling it a "practical and flexible measure to avoid leaving underutilized facilities after the event." The OCA stressed that accommodations had been assigned to all registered athletes, coaches, and officials, emphasizing the sustainable approach to running the Games.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have just entered the full-scale competition phase. Although a different operational approach was adopted compared to existing international multi-sport events, prioritizing cost reduction and sustainability, problems related to accommodation, transportation, and event management have continuously surfaced before and after the opening. Photo by Xinhua News Agency Yonhap News

In addition to issues with transportation and accommodation, another unprecedented incident occurred on the 18th during the men’s hockey group stage between South Korea and Bangladesh in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture: the North Korean national anthem, instead of the South Korean anthem, was played. The stadium announcer introduced the performance as the South Korean anthem, but the anthem that actually reverberated through the venue was North Korea’s. Placing their hands on their chests, the South Korean athletes were visibly confused and immediately realized something was wrong. The organizers belatedly recognized their mistake and apologized, but could not immediately play the correct anthem.

The South Korean anthem was only played after the Bangladeshi anthem, once the players had stepped out of line and begun preparing for the match, resulting in South Korea being unable to hold any proper formalities. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have only just entered the full competition phase, but, despite prioritizing cost reduction and sustainability and taking a different approach from previous international multi-sport events, recurring problems in accommodation, transportation, and event operation have continued to emerge before and after the opening.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.