[Anchor]
Throughout this Asian Games, the sloppy operations of the host country, Japan, have been a constant source of controversy. In an absurd incident, the Taegeukgi (South Korean national flag) was not hoisted when our victorious national football team took the podium.
Reporter Lee Seonghun has the details.
[Reporter]
As the men's national football team, having achieved four consecutive titles, stood atop the podium singing the national anthem and soaked in emotion, the Taegeukgi, which should have been raised the highest, was not hoisted.
The staff seemed not to have rehearsed properly, scrambling and struggling to raise the flag. While our players wore bewildered expressions, the crowd jeered at the organizers.
Even after receiving scathing criticism from athletes and media across Asia for failing to properly manage the basic operations of an international event—ranging from immigration clearance, meals, accommodations, transportation, and laundry to training facilities—the games were marred until the very last moment by an incident that should never have happened.
[Seungmin / President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee : I think this is perhaps the Games where we sent the most official letters of protest and lodged the most complaints to the organizing committee. Rather, I feel we have received some stimulation to thoroughly prepare for upcoming global-level events in the future.]
Working as a sports reporter for 27 years, I have covered 5 Olympics, 3 World Cups, and 5 Asian Games on-site.
However, there has never been a case with as many operational disruptions as this time.
What is even more astonishing is the attitude of the organizers.
Until the middle of the tournament, the organizing committee consistently avoided mentioning the operational disruptions or offered "detached excuses" shifting the blame to subcontracted companies, and even during the closing press conference, they self-praised that it was the "greatest tournament in history."
Japan lowered the prestige of the tournament itself by fielding second- or third-tier players instead of top athletes in most events of this home-held competition, and as a result, brought upon themselves the worst box-office slump in history.
To restore the fallen prestige of the Asian Games, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is pushing to postpone the upcoming Doha Games by a year to 2031, just ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, and tie them to Olympic qualification spots by sport. However, whether it will be able to fully restore the status of a tournament that is continually plummeting remains uncertain.
(Reported by Choi Dae-woong | Video by Park Jung-sam | Design by Kim Min-young)
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