South Korea faced Bangladesh in the first match of Pool A in men’s hockey at the 2026 Asian Games on Friday but it was North Korea’s national anthem that rang out at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium before the match. Moreover, the players had to do to the customary handshakes with their opponents when the South Korean anthem was eventually played after Bangladesh’s anthem.

Once the North Korean anthem concluded, organisers apologised for the gaffe and proceeded to play the Bangladeshi national anthem. The South Korean anthem was then played after that. According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the referee instructed players to exchange greetings while the South Korean anthem was still playing due to time constraints.

Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The North Korean anthem is mistakenly played for the South Korean team. pic.twitter.com/SycDoRWlF1

— 由仁アリン Arin Yuni 🇸🇬 Singapore meetup (9/26) (@Arin_Yumi) September 18, 2026

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The Chosun Daily reports that the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee is planning to formally lodge a protest with the organizing committee.

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The incident is the latest among a number of teething issues that have marred the buildup to the 2026 Asian Games. The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on Saturday, on the eve of which India and five other nations took part in a flag hoisting ceremony. However, the ceremony was delayed by over an hour due to “miscommunication” between the Olympic Council of Asia and the local organising committee (ANAGOC).

There has been widespread criticism levelled at the facilities provided to players and coaches. From waiting endlessly in the assembly area for room allocation to inadequate food options and hassle for commuting to distance from accommodation and training facilities, some of India’s top-notch athletes were left fretting in the country’s largest manufacturing and shipping hub of Nagoya. South Korea’s football team ended up being ferried to the baseball arena for their scheduled match against Qatar. Consequently, the team arrived at the stadium 30 minutes later than they had planned.

A day after rowers were left stranded in the assembly area and had to pay for their food, a wushu practitioner, two Indian coaches and a masseur faced a delay of more than six hours before they could check into their room in the cruise ship, Costa Serena.