South Korea's anthem plays, but no flag rises at Asian Games medal ceremony

Korea beats Japan for 4th consecutive gold in men's football

Taegukgi fails to rise on time at victory ceremony

Captain Lee Ki-hyeok: 'If intentional, it's very bad'

South Korea's Taegukgi fails to rise during the men's football medal ceremony at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday. [Yonhap]

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which has drawn repeated criticism for shoddy event management, produced yet another embarrassing scene in its final days — South Korea's national flag failed to rise on time during the men's football gold medal ceremony.

Some observers argued that if the mishap was deliberate, it would represent a serious breach of sportsmanship — the principle of accepting defeat and honoring the winning team.

The incident unfolded Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, during the men's football medal ceremony. South Korea had just defeated host nation Japan 1-0 in the final to claim gold, but the Taegukgi did not ascend the flagpole at the proper moment.

The victory carried exceptional weight for the Korean squad: it was their third consecutive win over Japan in an Asian Games final, securing a fourth straight gold medal in men's football and extending their all-time record to seven Asian Games titles in the event.

Adding to the occasion's significance, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min presented the medals, making it an even more meaningful moment for the Korean delegation as the Games drew toward a close.

Gold medalist Eom Ji-seong points toward the flagpole after South Korea's Taegukgi fails to rise during the men's football medal ceremony at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday. [Yonhap]

The gold medalists were unable to fully savor their triumph as the Taegukgi failed to rise in time with the national anthem. Officials responsible for the flag scrambled as something malfunctioned, and the Korean players pointed toward the flagpole with visible bewilderment as the anthem played on without the flag ascending.

Ultimately, the Taegukgi had not reached the top of the pole by the time the anthem ended, drawing boos from the stands.

It was not the first operational failure at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Team buses frequently ended up at the wrong venues, disrupting competition schedules. At one hockey match involving South Korea, North Korea's national anthem was played instead of "Aegukga" — one of numerous incidents that should never occur at a major international multi-sport event.

Team captain Lee Ki-hyeok of Gangwon Province did not mince words about the flag incident. "If it was intentional, that's very bad," he said. "I think a medal ceremony is a place to offer congratulations. It's a shame they couldn't even get one flag raised properly. I think the players, and the fans who traveled all the way here to cheer us on, must have been frustrated."

carrier@heraldcorp.com