IOC apologizes to South Korea for opening ceremonies gaffe

Field Level Media|published: Sat 27th July, 11:27 2024

Jul 26, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; Celine Dion performs under the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games along the Seine River. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports

The International Olympic Committee apologized to South Korea on Saturday for introducing the country's athletes as being from North Korea in the opening ceremonies.

In Friday's event, the announcer said the boat traveling along the Seine River was carrying athletes from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea.

South Korea is officially known as the Republic of Korea.

The two Koreas have been at odds since the Korean War of the early 1950s.

"We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean athletes during the broadcast of the opening ceremony," the IOC's official Korean language account said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Still, The Athletic reported that South Korean officials wanted to meet with IOC president Thomas Bach over the error, and the Korean Olympic Committee also asked the local organizing committee to be sure to avoid preventing "the misrepresentation of the Korean athletes."

Per the report, the South Koreans also intend to send a letter of protest.

--Field Level Media