SEA Games opening ceremony had errors related to the national flag, many incidents occurred

(Dan Tri) - During the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games at Rajamangala (Bangkok) on the evening of December 9, the Organizing Committee of the host country Thailand made another mistake when it mistook the Indonesian flag for the Singapore flag.

During the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games held on the evening of December 9 at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok), the organizing committee of the host country Thailand caused controversy when the stage screen mistakenly displayed the Indonesian flag instead of the Singapore flag during the historical reenactment of the games.

The Indonesian flag was mistaken for the Singapore flag (Photo: Screenshot)

The incident occurred during the segment where the organizers mentioned the previous SEA Games. At the 1997 SEA Games hosted by Indonesia, on the large LED screen, the words “1997 Indonesia” appeared correctly, but the flag illustrated below was the Singapore flag. This moment was immediately discovered and quickly spread on social networks, creating heated debates just a few minutes later.

Many people said that the mistake of the national flag was unacceptable, especially at the biggest sporting event in the region, where accuracy and respect for participating countries must be put first. Some people expressed disappointment that the incident happened in the context of Thailand announcing a heavy investment in performance technology and aiming to bring a modern and impressive Games.

It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time the SEA Games 33 organizers have made a mistake with the flag. Previously, the organizers also used the wrong national flags of the countries in the futsal competition schedule. Instead of hanging the Thai flag, the organizers used the Vietnamese flag. Meanwhile, the Indonesian flag was mistaken for the Lao flag.

The flag mistake was not the only incident at the opening ceremony. The organizers made a mistake in the number of medal sets at the 33rd SEA Games. At this event, there were 574 sets of medals awarded, but the drone display at Rajamangala Stadium showed the number 547.

The organizing committee presented incorrect figures on the number of medal sets at the 33rd SEA Games (Photo: Screenshot).

In addition, the opening ceremony was also interrupted for about 30 minutes, forcing the two MCs to make jokes to maintain the atmosphere. The camera almost only panned on the stands, avoiding the VIP area because King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida had not appeared. This incident is rare at an opening ceremony of this magnitude.

When the two royal figures appeared, the surrounding people bowed in unison. Then the entire Rajamangala Stadium performed a memorial ceremony for Queen Sirikit, who passed away at the age of 93 on October 24. Thailand has declared a year of national mourning for this event, so there were no fireworks at the opening ceremony.

During the first 90 days, people are advised to wear black or dark-colored clothing. During the opening ceremony, in addition to lighting technology, black also plays a large part.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/le-khai-mac-sea-games-mac-loi-lien-quan-toi-quoc-ky-xuat-hien-nhieu-su-co-20251209221107479.htm