South Sudan demands explanation after anthem blunder at Paris Olympics

JUBA – South Sudan’s government on Monday demanded an explanation after the Sudanese national anthem was mistakenly played instead of its own during a basketball match at the Paris Olympics.

The error occurred ahead of South Sudan’s opening men’s basketball game against Puerto Rico, which the African nation won.

Spectators booed as the Sudanese anthem was played at the Pierre Mauroy stadium on Sunday.

Speaking during a parliamentary session in Juba on Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Semaya K. Kumba expressed disappointment at the blunder, saying it was “unacceptable” that the Sudan national anthem was played instead of South Sudan’s.

“We have taken a formal kind of disappointment to the international community of the Olympics, and we have received a verbal apology,” Kumba said. “But I would like to say that all of us here, there’s nobody and nobody that can accept that.”

The government has contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through its embassy in Paris to seek clarification on how the error occurred and to prevent similar incidents.

South Sudan made history on Sunday by becoming the first African team to defeat a non-African opponent at the Olympics, beating Puerto Rico 90-87 in their Group C game.

The team will face the United States on Wednesday with a potential quarter-final berth on the line.