At Asian Games in Japan, South Korean hockey players were played North Korea’s anthem — Dawn
Organizers of the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, mistakenly played the national anthem of North Korea for the South Korean team before the men's field hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh. The stadium later apologized for the mistake. Dawn reported, citing AFP.
Mistake before the match
The South Korean national team’s field hockey players lined up for their anthem but heard North Korea’s anthem instead. The players looked at each other in confusion.
Organizers then played Bangladesh’s anthem and later South Korea’s anthem. At the same time, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the referee asked players from both teams to shake hands and prepare for the start of the match before the South Korean anthem had ended.
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Reaction from the South Korean side
South Korean national team coach Min Tae-seok called the incident a serious problem. According to him, after a protest, organizers’ representatives explained that those responsible for playing the anthem had made a mistake. “But this simply should never happen,” he said.
A representative of the South Korean Olympic Committee told AFP that the committee is clarifying the circumstances of the incident to establish the exact facts. The match ended with South Korea defeating Bangladesh 5:0.
The opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Nagoya was scheduled for the following day. Ahead of the competition, teams had also complained about the quality and number of accommodation places, while some delegations waited at the airport for up to six hours after arriving this week.
