What happened to South Korea's flag during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games football medal ceremony?

The Taegeukgi was not raised on time and had not reached the top of the flagpole when the national anthem ended. Organizers said a rope knot had become caught in the pulley, while stadium staff had failed to check the setup properly before the ceremony.

Why did South Korea's men's basketball team cancel its shootaround before the Asian Games final?

The team canceled its morning shootaround on Sept. 20 because the shuttle bus assigned to transport the players did not arrive. South Korea later defeated Japan to win the gold medal.

How did the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games organizers respond to complaints from the Korean delegation?

The organizing committee sent a formal apology to the KSOC and separately apologized for transport and protocol inconveniences affecting the Korean delegation. The KSOC said it would work with international sports organizations and propose measures to ensure athletes receive appropriate conditions at future competitions.

Korea sports body receives apology from Asian Games organizers over mishaps

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Summary

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee received a formal apology from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games organizing committee over mishaps during the competition. During the men's football medal ceremony Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, the Korean flag failed to reach the top of the pole before the national anthem ended. The organizing committee attributed the problem to a rope knot caught in the pulley and inadequate equipment checks. Korean basketball players also missed a pre-final shootaround on Sept. 20 because their shuttle bus did not arrive.

Key Facts

The apology letter was sent under the name of organizing committee chief Hideaki Omura the day before the KSOC announcement.
Korea defeated Japan 1-0 to win the men's football gold medal at Toyota Stadium.
The organizing committee separately apologized for transport and protocol problems affecting the Korean delegation.
The KSOC said it would work with international sports organizations and offer suggestions to improve conditions for athletes at future competitions.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 7, 2026 8:09 pm KST

The Korean national flag, center, remains stuck at the bottom of the flagpole during the medal ceremony for the men's football tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, Saturday. Yonhap

The top Korean sports organization said Wednesday it received a formal apology from the organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games over a series of mishaps that occurred during the recently concluded competition.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said the Asiad organizing committee sent a letter the previous day under the name of its chief, Hideaki Omura, to apologize for an incident during the medal ceremony for the men's football tournament Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, east of the main host city Nagoya.

Korea defeated the home team Japan 1-0 for the gold medal, but during the victory ceremony, the Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, was not raised on time and did not reach the top of the pole by the end of the national anthem.

The organizers said a rope knot had been caught in the pulley on the pole and the operations staff at the stadium had not properly checked the setup prior to the ceremony.

It was only the latest in a series of issues that Korean athletes dealt with throughout the event. The men's basketball team, for instance, had to cancel its shootaround the morning of the final against Japan on Sept. 20 because a shuttle bus that had been assigned to the team did not show up. Korea later beat Japan for the gold medal.

In a separate email, the Asiad organizing committee also apologized for the inconvenience it had caused the Korean delegation in the areas of transport and protocol, the KSOC added.

"We will continue to work with international sports organizations and also offer our suggestions to ensure our athletes will be treated appropriately in an optimal environment at future sports competitions," the KSOC said.

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