![South Korean players toss head coach Lee Min-sung into the air after winning the gold medal in the men's football final against Japan at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/07/rcv.YNA.20261003.PYH2026100310970001300_P1.jpg)
The organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (AINAGOC) has issued a formal apology to the South Korean delegation over a delayed flag-raising at a medal ceremony and a series of transport and protocol failures during the Games.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said Wednesday it received an official apology email and letter from AINAGOC signed by organizing committee President Omura Hideaki.
The committee apologized for the failure to raise the South Korean flag properly during the medal ceremony following South Korea's victory in the men's football final at Toyota Stadium on Saturday. The Taegukgi had not reached the top of the flagpole by the time the national anthem finished playing.
An internal investigation found that venue staff had failed to check the attachment point of the flag-raising rope in advance, causing a knot to catch on the pulley at the top of the flagpole. AINAGOC acknowledged the incident as an operational error and extended its apologies to the Korean delegation, officials and the public.
The committee also issued a separate apology for ongoing transport and protocol problems throughout the Games, expressing regret that disruptions had persisted despite corrective measures taken after the issues first arose.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee had sent multiple letters of protest to AINAGOC during the Games over various operational failures, including the cancellation of a morning training session before the men's basketball final after the team's shuttle bus failed to arrive on time.
The committee said it would comprehensively review the problems that occurred during the Games, including those raised in the latest apology letter, and would continue to communicate its concerns to international sports bodies to ensure South Korean athletes receive proper treatment and suitable competition conditions at future multi-sport events.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
