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The story
At the Asian Games currently underway in Aichi and Nagoya, the national anthems of both teams were not played before the women’s handball match between South Korea and Hong Kong on the 19th. This came after a mistake the previous day, the 18th, during the men’s hockey match, when North Korea’s anthem was mistakenly played instead of South Korea’s, forcing the organizing committee to apologize to the South Korean delegation. The host, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), reportedly suspended anthem performances across all events temporarily while it sorted out its operational setup. Players were given no advance explanation, and South Korea’s coach expressed bewilderment, saying, “I’ve never seen anything like this at an international competition.” Reactions on 5ch were split between those who saw it as mere confusion from staff shortages and those who suspected deliberate sabotage or political motives.
What people said
According to reports, in the South Korea-Hong Kong match on the 19th, the match began after player introductions without the usual anthem performance. There was no advance explanation, and players from both teams reportedly appeared confused. South Korea's coach, Lee Gye-cheon, said, "I've never seen anything like this at an international competition." The men's handball match between Kuwait and Iran also went ahead without anthems.
In the men's hockey match on the 18th, North Korea's anthem played during the moment meant for South Korea's anthem, prompting South Korea to lodge a protest with the games' organizing committee. The committee had apologized to the South Korean delegation.
Well, suspending it across the board is deliberate by definition.
Though not explaining why might be the real problem.
We're cancelling anthem playback for ALL events!!
What kind of operation is this…
and now it's always South Korea running into problems… weird lol
No need to make such a big deal out of it.
but not playing the anthem or not running the buses is just sloppiness.
Are Nagoya City or the operator just hiring gig workers off Timee (a same-day temp-staffing app) to run this thing?
They also worked on the Osaka Expo, so they should have the know-how by now.
but what they have in common is that they're funded by taxes, not event revenue.
How many times is that now?
Classic dumb Japanese-style decision-making.
Is this what happens when the population shrinks faster than it did during wartime, even without an actual war?
Seriously, what's happened to this country if it can't even play a national anthem properly?
Name and shame.
This country's gotten shoddy at everything.
They were definitely hiring a ton of short-term part-timers, but that was for stuff like venue guidance.
Background and Key Points of This Story
At this year’s Games, the men’s hockey match on the 18th saw North Korea’s anthem mistakenly played instead of South Korea’s, leading South Korea to protest and the organizing committee to apologize. The following day, the host, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), took the unusual step of temporarily suspending anthem performances across all events to prevent a repeat. It’s rare for a major international multi-sport event to halt anthem performances outside the opening ceremony across every discipline, and the apparent lack of advance notice to athletes seems to be what fueled much of the confusion. Reactions on 5ch split between those chalking the disruption up to simple staffing and preparation shortfalls, and those suspecting deliberate interference or political motives. That said, the original reporting frames the suspension strictly as an administrative precaution by the organizers, not something the committee has officially cast as a political statement. It’s also worth noting that broader grievances about the Games’ operations — staffing costs, temp hiring, cost-effectiveness — are being aired under cover of the anthem story, points this article alone doesn’t substantiate.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Aichi/Nagoya] National Anthem Skipped Again at Women’s Handball Match — Asian Games May Suspend Performances Across All Events.”
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