Wrong anthems played at Asian Para Games after mishap-marred Asian Games
Wrong national anthems were played thrice at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, forcing the city's mayor to apologise after similar blunders at the Asian Games.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
TOKYO: Wrong national anthems were played three times at the Asian Para Games in Japan's Nagoya this week, prompting the mayor to apologise just days after the city hosted the mishap-plagued Asian Games.
The Asian Para Games is taking place in the central Japanese hub city through Saturday, featuring around 4,000 athletes and officials in 18 sports.
Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa apologised on Wednesday (Oct 21) for the latest error, which occurred despite officials' pledges to implement steps to prevent mistakes, including playing the correct national anthems.
"These things happened during the Asian Games, so of course the operations were reviewed and examined based on the lessons learned. The fact that it happened again is really just unacceptable," the mayor told a press conference.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
On Monday, a Taiwanese athlete won a men's para taekwondo competition, but the Iranian anthem was played in its entirety, according to Nagoya officials at the mayor's press conference.
Officials realised their mistake after the ceremony, they said.
On the same day, the Iranian anthem was played again during a women's para taekwondo ceremony, where a Mongolian competitor was receiving the gold medal, according to the city.
The incorrect music was stopped after the Mongolian delegation pointed out the error.
Organisers then played the Mongolian anthem after the music was provided by the delegation, Nagoya officials said.
Separately on Monday, officials broadcast the South Korean anthem for about five seconds, instead of the Chinese one, before a sitting volleyball match between China and Iran.
"It is unacceptable, or rather, it's painful. I am very sorry about it," the mayor said, adding that he felt the tournament was otherwise progressing smoothly.
The Asian Games, which concluded in early October, faced heavy criticism for shortcomings ranging from inadequate accomodations for athletes to the playing of wrong national anthems.
On Sep 18, organisers played North Korea's national anthem for the South Korean hockey team.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Newsletter
Recommended Read
Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read
A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app