AICHI (TR) – The organizing committee for the Asian Games issued a formal apology on Wednesday following a string of embarrassing blunders, including mistakenly playing the North Korean national anthem for the South Korean men’s hockey team, reports Tokai TV (Sep. 23).
The major gaffe occurred on September 18, prior to the games’ opening ceremony, ahead of a match between South Korea and Bangladesh. When it was time for the South Korean anthem, the North Korean anthem echoed through the stadium instead.
Takaaki Omi, deputy secretary general of the organizing committee, blamed the mix-up on a private contractor.
“Because the anthem data for all participating countries was stored on the same terminal, a private operator mistakenly transmitted the wrong one,” Omi explained during a press conference.
To prevent a repeat of the diplomatic faux pas, Omi stated that anthems not scheduled for use on a given day will no longer be stored on the active terminal, and all audio data will now be subject to strict double-checks.
The committee was also forced to address a series of severe delays involving shuttle buses transporting athletes to practices and matches. While Omi apologized and stressed that “flawless operation is our first priority,” he also shifted some of the blame back onto the participating nations.
According to Omi, although the deadline for altering bus schedules is strictly set for 3:00 p.m. the day prior, some teams made last-minute requests late at night, which organizers were simply unable to accommodate.
“We are very sorry, but regarding reservation changes after 3:00 p.m., we want to prioritize the competitions, so we ask that you refrain from doing so in the future,” Omi stated.
Despite the logistical chaos, organizers confirmed that no athletes have missed the start of a match so far.
