Wrong national anthems were played on three separate occasions at the Asian Para Games in Japan's Nagoya this week, leading to an apology from the city's mayor. The repeated errors occurred despite officials' assurances that lessons had been learned from similar incidents during the recently concluded Asian Games.

Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa expressed his regret on Wednesday, stating that the recurrence of such mistakes was "really just unacceptable." The Asian Para Games, featuring approximately 4,000 athletes and officials across 18 sports, are being held in Nagoya through Saturday. The city previously hosted the Asian Games, which also faced significant criticism for organizational shortcomings.

One incident on Monday saw the Iranian national anthem played in its entirety for a Taiwanese athlete winning a men's para taekwondo competition. Officials reportedly realized the mistake only after the ceremony concluded. Later that same day, the Iranian anthem was mistakenly played again during a women's para taekwondo medal ceremony for a Mongolian competitor. The Mongolian delegation intervened, pointing out the error, and their correct anthem was played after they provided the music.

In another instance on Monday, the South Korean national anthem was played for about five seconds instead of the Chinese anthem before a sitting volleyball match between China and Iran. "It is unacceptable, or rather, it’s painful. I am very sorry about it," Mayor Hirosawa commented, though he also noted that the tournament was otherwise proceeding smoothly.

The Asian Games, which ended in early October, were marred by various issues, including inadequate athlete accommodations and the erroneous playing of national anthems. Notably, on September 18, North Korea's anthem was played for the South Korean hockey team.

These repeated anthem errors have cast a shadow over the international sporting events hosted by Nagoya. Officials had pledged to implement corrective measures after the Asian Games, making the fresh gaffes particularly embarrassing.

The current Asian Para Games are intended to showcase the athletic achievements of para-athletes from across the continent. The focus on sport and competition has been somewhat overshadowed by these organizational oversights.

Questions remain about the effectiveness of the review processes put in place after the Asian Games and the specific protocols that failed to prevent these latest incidents. The city's operational reviews and examinations were meant to ensure such errors would not be repeated.