South Korea Mistaken for Republic of China Amid String of Operational Flubs at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Complaints are mounting from participating countries over a series of operational blunders at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which have included playing the wrong national anthem and disruptions in athlete transportation.

According to reports by the Yomiuri Shimbun and other outlets today (September 23), the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee lodged a formal protest after a major error occurred during the men's hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh on September 18, where North Korea's national anthem was mistakenly played. The organizing committee subsequently issued an official apology.

During the modern pentathlon medal ceremony on September 20, South Korea was also incorrectly introduced as the "Republic of China" before the mistake was corrected.


Disruptions related to transportation and lodging continued as well.

Ahead of the men's basketball final on September 20, the South Korean national team had to cancel its morning practice session due to bus dispatch issues.


With the Chinese delegation also left stranded at the airport for hours, two to three transportation mishaps are occurring daily.

In particular, as this tournament bypassed building a traditional athletes' village and instead utilized large cruise ships and other facilities scattered as accommodations, complaints from delegations from various countries have poured in regarding delayed check-in procedures and difficulties with room assignments.

As the controversy grew, Takaaki Omi, deputy secretary-general of the organizing committee, stated during a press conference, "I apologize for the human errors."

However, he explained, "There has been no impact on the competitions themselves, and we are coming up with improvement measures every day."

He also clarified that issues such as bus dispatch delays and lodging backlogs were partly caused by late-night and emergency requests from various delegations, as well as incomplete documentation.

Local media analyzed that the lack of experience stemming from the exclusion of major advertising agencies like Dentsu—in the wake of the Tokyo Olympics corruption scandal—leading to the massive deployment of inexperienced personnel is another factor behind the poor operations.

Regarding this, Takaaki Omi, deputy secretary-general of the organizing committee, said, "It is possible that human errors occurred because many staff members lack experience," but added, "There have been no critical mistakes affecting the games, and we are managing to push through somehow."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.