Pakistan’s horse Eden du Veret, popularly known as “Mirage”, has arrived safely in Japan ahead of the country’s historic equestrian campaign at the 2026 Asian Games.
The horse’s arrival comes as Pakistan prepares to make its debut in the Olympic discipline of eventing at the Asian Games, although some essential equipment belonging to the delegation has been delayed during transportation.
Pakistani rider Usman Khan confirmed that Eden du Veret had reached Tokyo safely as preparations continued for the equestrian competition at the JRA Equestrian Park.
Usman and Eden du Veret will compete in both the individual and team eventing competitions, scheduled to take place from September 20 to 23.
Pakistan prepares for historic eventing debut
The horse-and-rider combination secured qualification for the Asian Games after Usman achieved the required Minimum Eligibility Requirement at a three-star eventing competition in Lignières, France, in September 2025.
The pair has undergone an extensive preparation process ahead of the Games. Eden du Veret completed 60 days of approved quarantine in France, followed by another 10 days of pre-export quarantine in Germany.
The horse therefore completed 70 days of quarantine before travelling to Japan, with all required tests reportedly returning negative results.
Equipment delay creates concern
While the horse arrived safely, the Pakistani delegation faced uncertainty over the arrival of essential horse equipment and veterinary kits.
According to communication from agents handling the transportation of horses and equipment for the Olympic and Asian Games, an additional 4,900 kilogrammes of cargo beyond the quantities originally booked by National Federations was delivered to Liege.
Due to payload restrictions, the entire consignment could not be loaded onto the scheduled flight.
The equipment was subsequently consolidated into a single shipment, making it difficult to identify and separate items belonging to individual National Olympic Committees whose consignments exceeded their original bookings.
The transport agents said they immediately began exploring alternative arrangements to speed up the shipment to Japan.
PCB Announces Women’s Squads for Asia Cup and Asian Games 2026
According to the latest schedule, 19 pieces of the consolidated consignment were transported on Qatar Airways flight QR806 from Doha to Narita on September 16, while another 34 pieces were scheduled to travel on the same flight on September 17.
The agents said they could not confirm in advance which National Olympic Committee’s equipment was included in either shipment because the consolidated cargo was being handled by Qatar Airways Cargo.
The equipment will undergo customs clearance after arriving in Japan before being transported to the equestrian venue.
Usman seeks urgent update
Usman has sought an urgent update from the transport agents, asking them to confirm which National Olympic Committee’s equipment had arrived, which consignments remained outstanding and whether Pakistan’s equipment was included in the shipments.
He said Pakistan had purchased a total baggage allowance of 200 kilogrammes and had already reduced the load by 30 kilogrammes. The team had also removed 20 kilogrammes of feed and several other pieces of equipment.
Usman stressed that the timing of the equipment’s arrival was important for the team’s final preparations. If Pakistan’s equipment arrived on September 16, the team could arrange a training session later that evening. A further delay until September 17, he said, could leave the pair at a disadvantage ahead of the competition.
Eventing schedule
Eventing combines three disciplines: dressage, cross-country and show jumping, making it one of the most demanding events in equestrian sport.
The Asian Games eventing competition will begin with the trot-up and veterinary inspection on September 20.
Dressage is scheduled for September 21, followed by cross-country on September 22 and show jumping on September 23.
For Pakistan, the competition will mark its first appearance in eventing at the Asian Games, with Usman Khan and Eden du Veret carrying the country’s hopes in Tokyo.
