How Can People Be So Incompetent

You'd think that making sure that flags - and national anthems - matched the athletes concerned, would be of the highest priority during the Olympic Games. There have been mistakes in the past... I think some Eastern Europeam medalists a few years ago had the wrong anthem played....

And you'd think that Olympic organizers would learn from the mistakes of others and not make them themselves!

But, apparently not:

From The Telegraph: London 2012 Olympics: North Korea women footballers protest over flag gaffe
Just four hours after the first action of London 2012, the Games saw its first gaffe when the electronic scoreboard at Hampden Park displayed the South Korean flag ahead of North Korean women’s football match against Colombia.

The entire team left the pitch in protest when they saw the wrong flag next to their names on the screen.

The match had been due to start at 7.45pm but there was a delay of at least an hour while the mistake was corrected. The game eventually kicked off shortly before 9pm.

Announcers at the stadium apologised for the delay and said there was “an issue behind the scenes”.

There were reports that fans had booed while others walked out after being kept waiting.

Before the match, Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said: “The Olympics is of huge importance and the fact Hampden will be front and centre as the world turns it attention to the UK is great news for Glasgow and Scotland as a whole.

“The Olympics is our chance to show the world what we are capable of as a nation and the hard work of people across the country is helping ensure the success of the Games.

“I am looking forward to watching the game and hearing the first-ever Olympic roar at Hampden later today.”

North Korea is no stranger to Olympic controversies. In 1964, the nation withdrew from the Olympics after the IOA banned countries that took part in the 1963 Games of the New Emerging Forces.

The country also boycotted the 1988 Games after being snubbed as co-hosts for the Seoul Games.

A Locog spokesman said: “Today 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 that 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.”