Wrong national anthems played three times at Asian Para Games in Japan

The Asian Para Games are taking place in Nagoya, Japan, featuring about 4,000 athletes and officials in 18 sports, according to organizers.

During the men's para taekwondo medal ceremony for Taiwan, the Iranian national anthem was played in its entirety, Nagoya officials said at a news conference. The same Iranian anthem was played again during the women's para taekwondo ceremony for Mongolia, and the Mongolian delegation pointed out the error; organizers then played the Mongolian anthem after the delegation provided the music.

In a women's sitting volleyball match between China and Iran, the South Korean anthem was played instead of the Chinese anthem. The music was stopped midway and replaced with the Chinese anthem, the organizing committee said.

Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa apologized on Wednesday, calling the mistakes unacceptable. The organizing committee said the errors resulted from an incorrect music playback software setting. A similar error occurred at the Asian Games in September when North Korea's anthem was played for South Korea before a hockey match. Hirosawa added that the tournament was otherwise progressing smoothly.