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Nagoya Mayor Apologizes After Three Anthem Errors at Para Games

By Drooid · Oct 22, 2026, 11:01 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Nagoya Mayor Apologizes

Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa apologized for three national anthem errors at the Asian Para Games.
Organizers said an incorrect music-playback software setting caused the Iranian-anthem mistakes.
The Iranian anthem was played for a Taiwanese male para-taekwondo gold medalist on October 20.
The South Korean anthem played for about five seconds instead of China’s before a women’s sitting-volleyball match.
The men’s para-taekwondo medal ceremony was repeated on October 22 to present the correct anthem.

Summary

Korean Committee Protests

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee protested after North Korea’s anthem played instead of South Korea’s at Asian Games hockey match.
The protest was directed to the Asian Para Games organizing committee, which later issued a public apology.
Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, acting president of the Asian Para Games committee, reiterated the apology and called the anthem error “unacceptable.”
He also pledged corrective action.

History

Historical Context

After the 1972 Munich massacre, in which Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and halted competition for 34 hours, the IOC introduced stricter security and anthem-verification procedures for medal ceremonies. Decades later, at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Nagoya, software glitches again played Iran’s anthem for a Taiwanese champion, showing that reforms born from Munich still face implementation challenges.

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Nagoya Mayor Apologizes

Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa apologized for three national anthem errors at the Asian Para Games.
Organizers said an incorrect music-playback software setting caused the Iranian-anthem mistakes.
The Iranian anthem was played for a Taiwanese male para-taekwondo gold medalist on October 20.
The South Korean anthem played for about five seconds instead of China’s before a women’s sitting-volleyball match.
The men’s para-taekwondo medal ceremony was repeated on October 22 to present the correct anthem.

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