Pakistan’s horse Eden du Veret, known as ‘Mirage’, has arrived safely in Japan ahead of the country’s historic equestrian campaign at the 2026 Asian Games. Still, some of the team’s essential equipment has been delayed during transportation.
Pakistani rider Usman Khan confirmed that Eden du Veret has reached Japan safely as preparations intensify for the equestrian competition, which will be held at the JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo.
Pakistan is set to make its debut in the Olympic discipline of eventing at the Asian Games, with Usman Khan and Eden du Veret representing the country in the individual and team competitions. The equestrian events are scheduled from September 20 to 23.
The horse-and-rider combination qualified for the Games after Usman secured the required Minimum Eligibility Requirement at a three-star eventing competition in Lignières, France, in September 2025.
The latest issue concerns equipment accompanying the Pakistani delegation.
According to communication from the agents responsible for transporting the horses and equipment for the Olympic and Asian Games, not all horse equipment and veterinary kits reached the venue as scheduled.
The agents explained that an additional 4,900 kilogrammes of cargo, above the quantities originally booked by the National Federations, had been delivered to Liege. Due to payload restrictions, however, the full consignment could not be accommodated on the flight.
After reaching Liege, the equipment was consolidated into a single shipment, meaning it was not possible to identify and remove the equipment belonging to individual National Olympic Committees whose consignments exceeded their original bookings.
The agents said they immediately began working on alternative arrangements to expedite the shipment to Japan.
According to the latest schedule shared with the National Federations, 19 pieces of the consolidated consignment were carried on Qatar Airways flight QR806 from Doha to Narita on September 16, while a further 34 pieces were scheduled to travel on the same flight on September 17.
The agents also said they could not confirm in advance which National Olympic Committee’s equipment was included in either shipment because the entire consignment was being handled by Qatar Airways Cargo.
The equipment is expected to undergo customs clearance after arrival before being transferred to the equestrian venue.
Usman has meanwhile sought an urgent update from the transport agents, asking which National Olympic Committee’s equipment had arrived, which consignments remained outstanding, what was expected to arrive on September 16 and whether Pakistan’s equipment was included.
In his message, Usman pointed out that Pakistan had purchased a total baggage allowance of 200 kilogrammes and had already reduced the load by 30 kilogrammes, removed 20 kilogrammes of feed and taken out several other pieces of equipment.
He also highlighted the importance of the timing, saying that if the Pakistani equipment arrived on September 16, the team could arrange a training session later in the evening. If the equipment only arrived on September 17, he said Pakistan could be placed at a significant disadvantage during the crucial final preparations for the Games.
Eden du Veret’s arrival in Japan comes after an extensive preparation process. The horse completed 60 days of approved quarantine in France, followed by 10 days of pre-export quarantine in Germany, completing a total of 70 days of quarantine before travelling to Japan. All required tests were reported negative.
Eventing is one of the most demanding equestrian disciplines, combining dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The Asian Games competition will begin with the trot-up and veterinary inspection on September 20, followed by dressage on September 21, cross-country on September 22 and show jumping on September 23.
2026-09-17 05:56:00
