NAGOYA - Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa on Wednesday said the wrong national anthems had been played at three events during the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games.
The organizing committee previously faced criticism for a similar anthem mix-up amid a host of other problems during the Asian Games that ended on Oct. 4.
Iran's national anthem was mistakenly played Monday during the medal ceremonies for the men's and women's para taekwondo competitions won by athletes from Taiwan and Mongolia, respectively, according to the Nagoya city government, which is part of the organizing body.
On the same day, South Korea's anthem was played instead of China's before a sitting volleyball match between China and Iran, the city government said.
"It was unacceptable that the problem reoccurred. We sincerely apologize to the athletes and officials concerned," Hirosawa, acting president of the organizing committee, told a news conference.
