Players baffled! Wrong Korean anthem played at Asian Games hockey match
South Korean hockey players were left confused on Friday when North Korea’s national anthem was played instead of South Korea’s before their men’s field hockey match against Bangladesh at the Asian Games.
According to a report from news agency AP, the players appeared unsure how to react as the wrong anthem played. Some stood at attention, while others ran their hands through their hair or placed their right hands over their hearts.
Organisers soon realised the mistake and played South Korea’s anthem.
South Korea went on to beat Bangladesh 5-0.
The Asian Games will officially open on Saturday, although some events have already started to manage the busy schedule involving more than 11,000 athletes.
Accommodation problems continue
Meanwhile, accommodation problems continued to trouble the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games , with even the Japan team looking for alternative arrangements after some male and female athletes were assigned to shared rooms.
The organisers decided against building a separate Athletes’ Village and instead arranged different types of accommodation for around 17,000 athletes and officials. An Italian cruise ship, which can house about 4,000 people, arrived on Tuesday, while another 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in shipping-container style huts at the port.
"Since the cruise ship village opened yesterday, athletes have been arriving and going through the entry procedures," Japan's deputy Chef de Mission Hisashi Mizutori told a news conference on Thursday.
"However, the process took a significant amount of time, and due to issues with activation of their credentials, we have received reports that some athletes were left waiting for several hours.
"There have been cases where coaches, team officials, and athletes have been assigned to the same room. There are also situations where room assignments were made purely based on the numbers, such as assigning five twin rooms for a group of five men and five women.
"While the numbers match on paper, practically it creates challenging situations such as men and women being assigned together, coaches being assigned with athletes, or trainers who need to accommodate a lot of medical equipment being assigned together."
Organisers said the accommodation problems arose after the expected number of athletes and officials increased from 15,000 as more sports were added. The organising committee and the Olympic Council of Asia have said the final number will be capped at 17,000, with accommodation guaranteed for everyone.
Japan team keeps backup option
Mizutori said the Japanese Olympic Committee had already expected accommodation "challenges" and had booked hotel rooms in the city as a backup.
"We heard that the accommodation allocations are extremely tight," said the former Olympic champion gymnast, who also sits on the JOC Executive Board.
"We are currently working to coordinate and negotiate adjustments wherever possible. For cases where that proves too difficult, we are considering using the backup accommodations that Team Japan prepared in advance as alternatives."
According to a report from news agency AP, the players appeared unsure how to react as the wrong anthem played. Some stood at attention, while others ran their hands through their hair or placed their right hands over their hearts.
Organisers soon realised the mistake and played South Korea’s anthem.
South Korea went on to beat Bangladesh 5-0.
The Asian Games will officially open on Saturday, although some events have already started to manage the busy schedule involving more than 11,000 athletes.
Accommodation problems continue
Meanwhile, accommodation problems continued to trouble the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games , with even the Japan team looking for alternative arrangements after some male and female athletes were assigned to shared rooms.
The organisers decided against building a separate Athletes’ Village and instead arranged different types of accommodation for around 17,000 athletes and officials. An Italian cruise ship, which can house about 4,000 people, arrived on Tuesday, while another 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in shipping-container style huts at the port.
"Since the cruise ship village opened yesterday, athletes have been arriving and going through the entry procedures," Japan's deputy Chef de Mission Hisashi Mizutori told a news conference on Thursday.
"However, the process took a significant amount of time, and due to issues with activation of their credentials, we have received reports that some athletes were left waiting for several hours.
"There have been cases where coaches, team officials, and athletes have been assigned to the same room. There are also situations where room assignments were made purely based on the numbers, such as assigning five twin rooms for a group of five men and five women.
"While the numbers match on paper, practically it creates challenging situations such as men and women being assigned together, coaches being assigned with athletes, or trainers who need to accommodate a lot of medical equipment being assigned together."
Organisers said the accommodation problems arose after the expected number of athletes and officials increased from 15,000 as more sports were added. The organising committee and the Olympic Council of Asia have said the final number will be capped at 17,000, with accommodation guaranteed for everyone.
Japan team keeps backup option
Mizutori said the Japanese Olympic Committee had already expected accommodation "challenges" and had booked hotel rooms in the city as a backup.
"We heard that the accommodation allocations are extremely tight," said the former Olympic champion gymnast, who also sits on the JOC Executive Board.
"We are currently working to coordinate and negotiate adjustments wherever possible. For cases where that proves too difficult, we are considering using the backup accommodations that Team Japan prepared in advance as alternatives."
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