Paris 2024 Olympics Apologize for Anthem Mix-Up Ahead of South Sudan's Debut

Ahead of South Sudan’s men’s basketball debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, an unfortunate mishap occurred as the wrong national anthem was played. The Sudanese anthem, rather than “South Sudan Oyee!”, took both players and fans by surprise.

A Moment of Confusion

The incident took place at the Pierre Mauroy stadium on Sunday, July 28. As the South Sudanese players prepared for their national anthem, they were visibly confused when the wrong anthem began. According to NewsX, the audio was abruptly cut off, after nearly playing the wrong anthem for 20 seconds. An announcer soon apologized for a “technical error,” and the correct anthem was played to the applause of spectators. Fans booed at the irresponsible action as it was seen as “disrespectful” to the South Sudan players.

Organizers’ Apology

Olympic organizers quickly issued a statement, acknowledging the gravity of the mistake and describing it as human error. “We fully understand the gravity of the mistake,” they wrote. Forward Majok Deng expressed the team’s disappointment, emphasizing, “They have to be better because this is the biggest stage, and you know that South Sudan is playing.”

The Team’s Triumph

Despite the initial setback, South Sudan triumphed over Puerto Rico with a score of 90-79. Forward Nuni Omot noted that the incident served as motivation, saying, “It gave us fuel to the fire.” This victory marked South Sudan’s first win in Olympic men’s basketball, a notable accomplishment for a nation that became independent from Sudan in 2011.

Previous Apologies

This was not the first time the Paris organizers had to apologize for a mix-up. During the opening ceremony, they mistakenly introduced the South Korean team as North Korea. This mix-up stirred quite many negative reactions towards the organizer as it was the official opening ceremony for the Olympics.

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Paris 2024 Olympics organizers played the wrong national anthem ahead of South Sudan’s Olympic debut in men’s basketball. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war. Instead of hearing “South Sudan Oyee!” , players and fans heard the national anthem of Sudan being played. In a clip of the moment, the South Sudanese players can be seen preparing for the anthem before becoming visibly confused. The audio track is then abruptly cut off to boos from the crowd. An announcer can then be heard apologizing for a “technical error.” Spectators can then be seen clapping in support of the South Sudanese players until the correct anthem began to play. Olympic organizers immediately released a statement, citing human error. “We fully understand the gravity of the mistake” the officials wrote. “They have to be better because this is the biggest stage, and you know that South Sudan is playing,” Forward Majok Deng said. “I don’t want to say anything, but to us it didn’t feel right, and that kind of delayed the game.” Despite the mix-up, South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico 90-79. “It gave us fuel to the fire,” South Sudan forward Nuni Omot said. South Sudan next faces Team USA on Wednesday, July 31. This is the second time Paris organizers have had to apologize for mixing up countries. During the opening ceremony, organizers introduced the South Korean team as North Korea. #southsudan #southsudanese #sudan #sudanese #anthem #nationalanthem #country #countries #paris2024 #olympics #olympic #parisolympics #name #names #africa #african #apology #error #mistake #song #diplomacy #sport #sports #geography #history #international #🇸🇸 #paris #france #french #fyp #edutok #learnontiktok #tiktoknews

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