IOC apologises for South Korea gaffe in Paris Olympics opening ceremony

SEOUL – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologised on July 27 for a gaffe during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games, in which South Korean athletes were incorrectly introduced as North Koreans.

As the South Korean delegation sailed down the River Seine, they were introduced with the official name for North Korea: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French, then “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.

“We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said on X.

The error sparked displeased reactions in South Korea, a nation that is technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North.

South Korea’s sports ministry had said in a statement that it is unhappy over the incident.

“We express regret that the country was introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games when the athletes of the Republic of Korea were entering,” it said.

Second Vice-Minister of Sports Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has asked for a meeting with IOC chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter, it added.

The country’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said in a statement it had contacted Seoul’s French embassy which admitted it was an “incomprehensible mistake”.

North Korea was correctly introduced with the country’s official name during the ceremony.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North bolstering military ties with Russia while sending thousands of trash-carrying balloons to the South.

In response, Seoul’s military blasts K-pop and anti-regime messages from border loudspeakers and recently resumed live-fire drills on border islands and near the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean peninsula.

South Korea’s delegation in Paris includes 143 athletes competing in 21 events. North Korea, which is returning to the Games for the first time since Rio 2016, has sent 16 athletes. 

There was also another blunder at the opening ceremony as it came to a close – the Olympic flag was raised and flown upside down at the Place du Trocadero near the Eiffel Tower.

Members of the French military were tasked with the job, but questions would be asked after it turned out that the Olympic logo’s two bottom rings were flipped to the top when the flag was in view.

The programme for the parade, meanwhile, was not well received by all – especially the segment depicting an apparent replication of The Last Supper performed by drag queens.

Elon Musk was one of the highest-profile critics, saying on his X platform: “This was extremely disrespectful to Christians.”

French bishops also complained on July 27, with a statement from the French Bishops’ Conference saying: “This ceremony unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply regret.”

The South Koreans have not had a good start to the Games, as it also emerged that six swimmers have left the Olympic Village and moved into a hotel near the swimming arena to avoid the long commute in hot buses.

Korea Swimming Federation president Chong Chang-hoon said the swimmers in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team checked into a hotel that is a five-minute walk from Paris La Defense Arena.

Chong received complaints that the buses the swimmers used to travel to the arena had no air-conditioning while the windows were taped shut. The Olympic Village is nearly 12km away from the venue.

Among the swimmers moved are medal contenders Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo, who won the 400m freestyle and 200m freestyle, respectively, at the World Championships in Doha earlier in 2024.

Hwang described the bus as a “sauna”, saying: “It’s cooler outside than inside the bus. The windows were taped, probably because they are worried about terrorist attacks. But something has to be done.”
AFP, REUTERS