NAGOYA –
Three nationwide anthem mix-ups occurred on the identical day on the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, with Iran’s anthem mistakenly performed throughout medal ceremonies for Chinese Taipei and Mongolia, whereas South Korea’s anthem was performed as a substitute of China’s earlier than a girls’s sitting volleyball match.
According to Nagoya metropolis officers, the primary incident occurred on October 20 in the course of the males’s para taekwondo medal ceremony, when Iran’s nationwide anthem was performed as a substitute of the Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee Anthem.
The mistake was found after the Chinese Taipei delegation raised the problem with organizers. Officials subsequently determined to carry the medal ceremony once more on the night of October 22 to appropriate the error.
The same mistake occurred in the course of the girls’s para taekwondo medal ceremony, when Iran’s nationwide anthem was performed as a substitute of Mongolia’s. Members of the Mongolian delegation identified the error, prompting organizers to cease the music and play the right Mongolian anthem.
A 3rd incident came about earlier than a girls’s sitting volleyball match, when South Korea’s nationwide anthem was performed for about 5 seconds as a substitute of China’s.
The three incidents occurred on the identical day, elevating issues in regards to the administration of nationwide anthems and ceremonial procedures on the worldwide sporting occasion.
Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa expressed frustration that the errors had occurred regardless of operational procedures being reviewed following comparable issues in the course of the Asian Games.
“These mistakes also happened at the Asian Games, so I thought the procedures had been reviewed based on what we learned. But it has happened again. This is not good,” Hirosawa stated.
The incidents have renewed questions in regards to the effectiveness of the organizers’ efforts to stop ceremonial errors, notably after earlier errors prompted a evaluation of working procedures.
Source: TBS