Olympic organizers in France mistakenly played the Sudanese national anthem instead of South Sudan’s ahead of the men’s basketball game against Puerto Rico.
The error, which occurred at the Pierre Mauroy stadium on Sunday, prompted boos from the crowd. After a brief pause, the correct anthem was played, earning an ovation from the spectators.
The Paris 2024 Olympic organizers issued an apology, citing “human error.” South Sudanese player Majok Deng called the mistake “disrespectful,” emphasizing the importance of accuracy on such a significant stage.
This incident marks the second time organizers have had to apologize for such errors. During the opening ceremony on Friday, South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as representing North Korea.
Despite the anthem mix-up, South Sudan’s team went on to win the game 90-79 against Puerto Rico. South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time last year. Last week, they narrowly lost to the United States in an exhibition game, falling short by just one point.
