Wrong National Anthem Played for South Sudan at Olympics; Organisers Apologise

The Olympic Games in Paris experienced a notable mishap on Sunday when the wrong national anthem was played for South Sudan before their opening men's basketball game against Puerto Rico. Instead of the South Sudanese anthem, the Sudanese anthem was played, prompting a chorus of boos from spectators at the Pierre Mauroy stadium.

The error was quickly corrected after a brief pause, and the correct anthem was played, eliciting a supportive ovation from the crowd. The Olympic organisers promptly issued an apology for the "human error," acknowledging the gravity of the mistake. Majok Deng, a player for South Sudan, expressed his disappointment to reporters, calling the mix-up "disrespectful." "They [the organisers] have to be better because this is the biggest stage, and you know that South Sudan is playing," Deng said. "There’s no way you can get that wrong by playing a different anthem. It’s disrespectful."

Despite the initial setback, South Sudan's team overcame the blunder and secured a victory against Puerto Rico with a final score of 90-79. The incident marks the second time in recent days that Olympic organisers have had to apologise for a significant mistake; during Friday's opening ceremony, South Korea's athletes were mistakenly introduced as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the official name of North Korea.

In response to the incident, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games organisers issued their "most sincere apologies" to South Sudan's team and their supporters, emphasising their understanding of the seriousness of the error. South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a lengthy conflict, is competing in the Olympics for the first time this year. Last week, they narrowly lost to the United States in an exhibition game decided in the final seconds.