International sports

Wrong national anthem played for South Sudan at Olympics

The Olympic organisers in France played the wrong national anthem for South Sudan ahead of the country’s opening men’s basketball game against Puerto Rico.

Spectators in the Pierre Mauroy stadium on Sunday booed as the Sudanese anthem was played instead of that of South Sudan.

The audio was corrected after a short pause, followed by an ovation from the crowd.

The organisers of the Olympic Games in Paris released a statement apologising for the “human error”. One of South Sudan’s players later told reporters the gaffe was “disrespectful”.

“They [the organisers] have to be better because this is the biggest stage, and you know that South Sudan is playing,” said Majok Deng.

“There’s no way you can get that wrong by playing a different anthem. It’s disrespectful,” he continued.

“Obviously, nobody’s perfect. They made a mistake. They played it at the end, and we moved on.”

The organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gave their “most sincere apologies to the team from South Sudan and their supporters for the human error.”

“We fully understand the gravity of the mistake,” the statement read.

It is the second time organisers have had to apologise for such a gaffe – during the opening ceremony on Friday, South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” – the official name of North Korea.

The South Sudanese team went on to beat Puerto Rico by 90 points to 79. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a protracted conflict and qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time last year.

Last week, South Sudan lost to the United States by just one point in an exhibition game that was won in the last seconds.

 

Source: bbc.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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