London 2012 Olympics North Korea Hampden

North Korean women's football team stages protest over flag gaffe during first Olympic 2012 event

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

July 26, 2012 | 1 min read

The first day of the London 2012 Olympics brought controversy as the women’s North Korean Olympic football team refused to play after the flag of a rival nation was mistakenly displayed.

At the first event of the Games, held at Hampden Park in Glasgow, the South Korean Flag was displayed on the display screens ahead of the kick-off against Columbia.

This led the players to walk off the pitch in protest, only to return an hour later when the North Korean flag was displayed instead.

Games organizer LOCOG has since issued an apology, which stated; "Ahead of the women's football match at Hampden Park, the South Korean flag was shown on a big screen video package instead of the North Korean flag.

"Clearly this is a mistake. We will apologise to the team and the National Olympic Committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again."

London 2012 Olympics North Korea Hampden

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