Operational blunders at Asian Games disrupt Korean team
Summary
South Korea’s delegation to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games faced repeated operational problems, including a national anthem mix-up, housing complaints, and transportation failures. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee demanded explanations and formal protests from organizers. The organizing committee apologized for the anthem error, while athletes also reported poor lodging conditions.
Key Facts
- The South Korean delegation sent an official letter of protest after North Korea’s anthem was mistakenly played before a men’s field hockey Pool A match against Bangladesh at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara.
- KSOC President Ryu Seung-min said the anthem should never be played incorrectly at an international multi-sport event and asked the organizing committee to investigate the cause and prevent a recurrence.
- Two organizing committee officials visited the South Korean delegation’s office to apologize for the anthem error.
- The South Korean men’s basketball team missed a Sunday morning training session before its final against Japan because a scheduled vehicle never arrived, and later faced another bus problem when leaving the country.
- The organizing committee chose hotels, a cruise ship, and prefabricated containers instead of an apartment-style athletes’ village for about 15,000 expected athletes and officials, but registrations later rose to about 17,000, leaving a room shortage.
From anthem error to bus mishaps, Asiad organizers draw criticism for sloppy planning
Players from South Korea, right, and Bangladesh line up before their Pool A men's field hockey match at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Gifu prefecture, Japan, Friday. Before the match, North Korea's national anthem was mistakenly played instead of South Korea's. Yonhap
South Korea's delegation to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games faced a string of problems, from the wrong national anthem to poor housing conditions and repeated transportation failures, amid the organizers' sloppy planning and operations.
On Friday, North Korea's national anthem was mistakenly played instead of South Korea's ahead of a men's field hockey Pool A match between South Korea and Bangladesh at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara.
The South Korean delegation demanded an explanation and sent an official letter of protest to the organizing committee.
"The national anthem, a symbol of the country, should never be played incorrectly at an international multi-sport event, and we view this matter with utmost seriousness," Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Ryu Seung-min said.
"We will do our best to protect our athletes so they can focus on competition without being affected by issues outside the games. We will also continue to demand that the organizing committee investigate the cause and take steps to prevent a recurrence."
After the incident, two organizing committee officials visited the South Korean delegation's office to apologize for the error, according to the KSOC.
A performer, back row second from left, dressed as Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, appears during a ceremony welcoming the cruise ship Costa Serena to Nagoya, Japan, Tuesday. AFP-Yonhap
Controversies offending the South Korean team's national spirit took place even before the Saturday opening ceremony.
A welcoming event at the athletes' village on Sept. 15 featured performers dressed as armed warriors portraying Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the 16th-century Japanese ruler who invaded Korea between 1592 and 1598.
The organizing committee said the welcoming event was meant to introduce the local culture and tourism of Aichi and Nagoya, and was not intended to endorse any historical figure or convey a historical message.
The South Korean team sent a letter to the organizing committee and the Olympic Council of Asia to express regret and request such issue would not be repeated.
At Chubu Centrair International Airport, south of Nagoya City, the South Korean delegation was barred from bringing in a large-sized national flag on Thursday. The airport authorities only said holding the flag was banned due to security reasons, but did not provide a detailed explanation.
Operational problems have also plagued the games, from athletes' housing to transportation.
The South Korean men's basketball team was forced to cancel a training session scheduled for Sunday morning ahead of its final against Japan later in the day because a vehicle scheduled to transport the team never arrived. So they eventually had to skip training before the final.
Even though the South Korean team beat Japan, speculation emerged online among South Koreans about whether the Japanese organizers did not arrange the vehicle for the rival team intentionally.
They experienced another bus issue on Monday when the basketball team was about to leave the country. Some players posted to social media photos of them waiting in the street for vehicles to carry them to the airport, with comments like "The bus never comes until the day we return."
South Korea's U-23 football team also faced transportation problems last week. During its first group-stage match against Qatar, the bus driver did not know the stadium's location and drove to the wrong venue, causing both teams to arrive about 30 minutes late.
Members of Korea's men's national basketball team wait for a bus after the final in Nagoya, Japan, Sunday. "Even on the day we leave, the bus still hasn't come," reads the caption. Captured from Korean basketball player Yeo Jun-seok's Instagram
Following the repeated transportation issues, KSOC on Monday issued a letter of protest to the organizing committee and demanded a meeting with ranking officials of the committee.
Accommodation issues also annoyed the participants. The organizing committee chose not to build an apartment-style athletes' village for the roughly 15,000 athletes and officials it expected for the games, citing rising construction costs and environmental concerns.
It turned instead to hotels, a cruise ship and prefabricated containers, but registrations later climbed to about 17,000 after new events were added, leaving a shortage of rooms.
Athletes complained about the conditions inside their assigned housing. Men's basketball player Byun Jun-hyung, 30, posted a video on social media showing a bathroom floor soaked with water from a leak, writing, "Please save us."
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