Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan criticised the organisers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after his team were taken to the wrong venue shortly before their Pool A match against Uzbekistan.
The team’s bus driver reportedly took the players to the wrong gymnasium, leaving them with limited time to warm up before the match. Murad described the incident as another example of mismanagement and said players had to change into their playing kits while travelling on the bus.
The Pakistan captain also complained about difficulties with food availability at dining areas after training sessions. The organisers had not immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment.
Despite the disruption, Pakistan defeated Uzbekistan 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium to secure their second consecutive victory.
Murad led Pakistan’s scoring with 14 points, while Musawer Khan added 13, Mohammad Hamad 11 and Usman Faryad Ali 10. Pakistan recorded 48 successful spikes and dominated at the net, producing 18 points from blocks compared with five by Uzbekistan.
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Pakistan had opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan. They will face hosts Japan in their final Pool A match.
The venue incident came after organisers apologised for operational problems affecting the Games. The chief organiser attributed some of the difficulties to the late arrival of around 2,000 additional athletes and team officials, which placed pressure on existing arrangements.
Pakistan hockey side finish pool campaign with big win
Pakistan ended their hockey pool campaign with a convincing 7-2 victory over Oman at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium.
Rana Waheed scored a hat-trick, while Sufyan Khan converted two penalty corners. Ghazanfar Ali and Ammad Butt also scored as Pakistan recovered from their earlier defeat against Malaysia.
Sufyan opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before doubling Pakistan’s advantage six minutes later. Waheed then scored in the 34th minute, while Ghazanfar added another in the 40th.
Waheed struck again four minutes later to give Pakistan a 5-1 lead at half-time. Oman’s goals came from Al Baraa Al Nofli and Aiman Madit.
Ammad added Pakistan’s sixth goal in the 46th minute before Waheed completed his hat-trick in the 59th.
Pakistan had earlier defeated Thailand 9-0, Uzbekistan 5-1 and China 3-0 before losing 5-4 to Malaysia. The victory over Oman gave Pakistan four wins from five pool matches.
The top two teams from each pool advance to the semi-finals, with the last-four matches scheduled for October 1.
Pakistan squash teams open with victories
Pakistan also recorded victories in both squash team events.
The men defeated the Philippines 3-0, with Nasir Iqbal beating Van Aero Dalida 11-7, 11-1, 11-4.
The women’s team recovered from a 3-0 defeat against Hong Kong by beating Mongolia 3-0. Mehwish Ali defeated Khongorzul Bat-Erdene 11-3, 11-2, 11-3 in the opening match.
Pakistan had earlier secured two bronze medals in men’s singles through Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan. Noor defeated Ashab 3-0 in the bronze-medal playoff, with both players awarded bronze after losing their semi-finals.
Rabia Kabir misses shooting final
Pakistan’s Rabia Kabir finished 33rd in the women’s 25m pistol qualification with a score of 567-13x and failed to reach the final.
Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan led the qualification standings with 587-25x.
Pakistan also finished seventh in the PUBG Mobile Asian Games competition with four points. China won the event with 20 points, followed by Japan and South Korea.
Attention now shifts to athletics, where Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is scheduled to compete in the men’s javelin final alongside compatriot Mohammad Yasir.
Ansar Abbas will also contest the men’s long jump final after qualifying with a personal-best jump of 7.28 metres.
