List of wrong anthem incidents

This is a list of incidents when an incorrect national anthem was accidentally played, sung or performed, including playing the anthem of the wrong country, playing an outdated anthem, and playing a non-anthem piece in place of a national anthem.

List

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Event and host Location affected Incident Type Occasion
1953 visit of Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to Chicago, United States   West Germany A band performed the carnival song "Heidewitzka, Herr Kapitän [de]". West Germany had readopted the "Deutschlandlied" in 1952.[1] non-anthem Politics
1959 Friendly, United Kingdom   Italy The Royal March of the Kingdom of Italy was played.[2][3] outdated Football
1977 Austrian Grand Prix, Austria   Australia A misconception[4] states that "Happy Birthday to You" was played for winning driver Alan Jones.[5] However, "Advance Australia Fair" was actually played,[6] different from what Jones remembered. non-anthem Auto racing
1985 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, Italy   West Germany The anthem of the German Democratic Republic was played for West German Markus Wasmeier.[7] wrong country Giant slalom
1986 FIFA World Cup OFC qualifiers   Australia The West German national anthem was played by mistake, however, the Australian national anthem was played. Football
1986 FIFA World Cup, Mexico   Belgium The West German national anthem was played rather than the Belgian one.[8]
1986 FIFA World Cup, Mexico   Brazil The Brazilian Flag Anthem was played instead of the Brazilian National Anthem for Brazil.[9] wrong anthem
1991 friendly match against Brazil, Uberlândia   Bulgaria A Brazilian military band played Shumi Maritsa, the national anthem of the Kingdom of Bulgaria rather than Mila Rodino. outdated
1991 Five Nations Championship match against France, Parc des Princes   Scotland Marche des Soldats de Robert Bruce (the air of Scots Wha Hae) was played by a Gendarmerie band for the Scottish team, as the score for Flower of Scotland were not available at the time. non-anthem Rugby union
1995 visit of Federal President Roman Herzog to Porto Alegre, Brazil[10]   Germany A police band performed the anthem of the former German Democratic Republic. outdated Politics
1998 Belgian Grand Prix, Belgium   Republic of Ireland The anthem of the United Kingdom was played for the winning Irish-licensed Jordan team.[11] wrong country Auto racing
2003 Davis Cup, Australia   Spain The "Himno de Riego", Spain's obsolete anthem, was played.[12] outdated Tennis
2004 African Cup of Nations, Tunisia   Zimbabwe Zimbabwe's former anthem "Ishe Komborera Africa" was played.[13] Football
2004 African Championships in Athletics, Congo   Zimbabwe Zimbabwe's former anthem "Ishe Komborera Africa" was played.[14] Athletics
2004 African Cup of Nations, Tunisia   Nigeria Liberia's anthem, "All Hail, Liberia, Hail!" was played instead of "Arise O Compatriots", the Nigerian national anthem.[15][16] wrong country Football
2006 FIFA World Cup, Germany   Togo The anthem of South Korea was played.[17]
2007, Inauguration of the National Cricket Stadium, Grenada   China The National Anthem of the Republic of China (ROC) was played in front of the ambassador of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The stadium was funded by the PRC.[18] wrong country/outdated Cricket
2007, Yves Leterme, when he was the prime minister of Belgium, in an interview with RTBF   Belgium When asked by the interviewer to sing a part of "La Brabançonne", the Belgian national anthem, the then-prime minister of Belgium started singing "La Marseillaise" instead, which is the national anthem of France.[19][20][21][22][23] wrong country Interview
2007 Tour de France, France   Spain The anthem of Denmark was played at the podium ceremony for winning Spaniard Alberto Contador.[24] wrong country Cycling
2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Spain   China The anthem of Chile was played during Liu Xiang's medal ceremony.[25] wrong country Track and field
2008 Valencia GP2 Series round, Spain   Russia Russia's former anthem, "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya", was played at the podium ceremony for winning Russia Vitaly Petrov.[26] outdated Auto racing
2009 Chinese Grand Prix, PR China   Austria The anthem of the United Kingdom was played for the winning Austrian-licensed Red Bull team.[11] wrong country Auto racing
2011 Giro d'Italia, Italy   Spain The Franco-era version of the Marcha Real was played.[27] outdated Cycling
2011 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Bermuda   Bermuda The anthem of the United States was played.[28] wrong country Football
2012 6th Kostanay regional ski festival, Kazakhstan   Kazakhstan "Livin' la Vida Loca", a Latin pop song by Ricky Martin, was played.[29] non-anthem Skiing
2012 International Shooting Grand Prix, Kuwait   Kazakhstan "O Kazakhstan", a parody anthem in the movie Borat, was played during Mariya Dmitriyenko's medal ceremony.[30] Shooting
2012 London Cup, United Kingdom   South Africa The former South African anthem "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" was played.[31] outdated Field hockey
2012–13 Men's FIH Hockey World League, Netherlands   Australia The anthem of New Zealand was played.[32] wrong country
2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, Lithuania   Serbia The anthem of Yugoslavia was played.[33] outdated Football
2013 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, Ukraine   Ukraine The anthem of Russia was played.[34] wrong country Gymnastics
2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, China   Ukraine The anthem of Uzbekistan was played.[35]
2014 Friendly, Slovakia   Malta The first few seconds of Linkin Park's "Numb" was played.[36] non-anthem Football
2014 Friendly, Slovakia   Russia The State Anthem of the Soviet Union's Stalinist version was played.[37] outdated Ice Hockey
2015 Women's Youth Hockey World Championship, U.S.A.   Russia Russia's former anthem, "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya", was played.[38][39]
2015 FIL World Luge Championships, Latvia   Germany The anthem of the former German Democratic Republic was played for Tobias Arlt and Tobias Wendl at their award ceremony in Sigulda.[40] Luge (Double)
2015 Friendly, U.S.A.   El Salvador The anthem of the Isle of Man was played.[41] wrong country Football
2015 King's Cup, Thailand   Honduras The anthem of Uzbekistan was played.[42]
2016 Copa América Centenario, U.S.A.   Uruguay The anthem of Chile was played.[43]
2016 Olympics, Brazil   Nigeria The anthem of Niger was played.[44][45]
2017 Biathlon World Championships, Austria   Russia Russia's former anthem, "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya", was played.[46] outdated Biathlon
2017 Fed Cup, U.S.A.   Germany The original first stanza of the "Deutschlandlied" was sung, which is not part of the official anthem and is usually avoided due to its associations with the Nazi era.[47] Tennis
2017 IIHF World Championship, Germany and France   Slovakia The anthem of Slovenia was played.[48] wrong country Ice Hockey
2017 European Athletics U20 Championships, Italy   Belarus The anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina was played during Viyaleta Skvartsova's medal ceremony.[49] Track and field
2017 Jerez Formula 2 round, Spain   Monaco The anthem of France was played during Charles Leclerc's podium ceremony.[50] Auto racing
2018 Rugby Europe Championship, Germany   Russia The State Anthem of the Soviet Union was played.[51] outdated Rugby
2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Netherlands   Russia "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya" was played during Nikita Troitskiy's podium ceremony.[52] Auto racing
2018–19 UEFA Nations League, Armenia   Gibraltar The anthem of Liechtenstein was played.[53] wrong country Football
2018 AFC U-19 Championship, Indonesia   South Korea The anthem of North Korea was played.[54]
2018–19 UEFA Nations League D, Macedonia   Gibraltar "God Save the Queen" was initially played before "Gibraltar Anthem" was played correctly.[55]
2018 Mega Hockey Games, Norway   Belarus "Kasiu Yas' kanushynu", a song by Belarusian folk rock band Pesniary, was played.[56] non-anthem Ice Hockey
2019 Spanish state visit to Italy   Spain The Franco-era lyrics of the Marcha Real were performed[57] outdated Politics
2019 end-of-year rugby union internationals, Scotland   Georgia The former Georgian anthem "Dideba" was played.[58] Rugby union
2020 UEFA Euro qualifying, France   Albania The anthem of Andorra was played.[59] wrong country Football
2020 ATP Cup, Australia   Moldova The anthem of Romania was played (it was also used as the Moldovan anthem from 1991 to 1994).[60] Tennis
2020 Summer Paralympic Games, Japan   RPC (Russian Paralympic Committee) The anthem of the International Paralympic Committee was played instead of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, which had been agreed on as the anthem for the RPC during Russia's suspension from official Paralympic participation.[61] Track cycling
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, United Arab Emirates   Indonesia The anthem of Malaysia was played.[62] Football
2021–22 KHL, Finland   Belarus "Belau rekid", the anthem of Palau, was misidentified and played due to the title’s resemblance to the word "Belarus".[63] Ice Hockey
2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon   Mauritania The former anthem of Mauritania was played.[64] outdated Football
2022 Tournoi de France, France   Finland The anthem of Albania was played.[65] wrong country
2022 Cetin vs Voraberger, Turkey   Austria The anthem of Austria-Hungary was played.[66][67] outdated Boxing
2022 elections in India   India The anthem of Nepal was played.[68] wrong country Politics
2022 Asia Rugby Sevens Series, South Korea   Hong Kong "Glory to Hong Kong" was played.[69] non-anthem Rugby sevens
2022 Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship, Dubai, UAE   Hong Kong "Glory to Hong Kong" was played, and after around 15 seconds, the winner signalled that there was a problem. Organisers then played the "March of the Volunteers" correctly.[70] Powerlifting
2023 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, Bosnia and Herzegovina   Hong Kong "Glory to Hong Kong" was played. Some Hong Kong players signalled that there was a problem. After 90 seconds, the organisers correctly played the "March of the Volunteers".[71] Ice Hockey
UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying tournament, Brussels, Belgium   Azerbaijan The anthem of Sweden was played.[72] wrong country Football
2024 World Triathlon Cup, Hong Kong   United Kingdom The anthem of Spain was played. Triathlon
2024 Olympics, France   South Sudan The anthem of Sudan was played. Basketball

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Landsberg, Torsten (2 May 2022). "The story of Germany's national anthem". Deutsche Welle.
  2. ^ "HINA Wembley anthem upsets Italians". News Chronicle. London. 1959-05-07. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  3. ^ Luigi Garlando (2023-10-17). "Italia senza paura: Spalletti cambia e chiede coraggio. L'Inghilterra ci dirà quanto valiamo". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  4. ^ Russell, Scott (2021-08-04). "Formula 1 Mythbusters: Part One". Champagne + Slicks. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  5. ^ George, Dhruv (2019-09-03). "TIL: Band Forgot Australian National Anthem After Alan Jones Victory and Instead Played Happy Birthday!". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  6. ^ "The wild Austrian GP that launched a future champion".
  7. ^ Eiskalt erwischt, spiegel.de, 2005-06-02.
  8. ^ Colaborador (2014-07-12). "La Copa del 86: El himno que no se pudo tocar". Chilango (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  9. ^ Mesquita, Jônatas (2023-01-01). "Incidente com o Hino Nacional não abalou o Brasil em estreia". Fut História (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  10. ^ Heike Amos: Auferstanden aus Ruinen… Die Nationalhymne der DDR 1949 bis 1990. Dietz, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-320-01939-2, p. 170.
  11. ^ a b Lynch, Steven (6 May 2015). "Wrong note for Jordan?". Espn.co.uk.
  12. ^ "Spanish fury over national anthem gaffe". Irish Times. 28 November 2003.
  13. ^ "Anger over Zimbabwe anthem gaffe". BBC News. 26 January 2004.
  14. ^ "Zimbabwe athlete sings own anthem". BBC News. 19 July 2004.
  15. ^ "Live: Tunisia 1-1 Nigeria". 2004-02-11. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  16. ^ "Angola/Nigeria: CAN-2004: Nigeria Protests Anthem Mix-Up At CAN Semi-Final With Tunisia".
  17. ^ "Memo to Fifa: This is Togo's national anthem". The Guardian. 14 June 2006.
  18. ^ "Grenada 'thanks' China by playing wrong anthem". Associated Press. 3 February 2007.
  19. ^ Brabançonne ou Marseillaise?; RTBF; 22 juli 2007 (via Wayback Machine).
  20. ^ Leterme kop van Jut in RTBF-journaal; Het Nieuwsblad; 22 juli 2007
  21. ^ "Do we need a history lesson?". VRT Nieuws. 22 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  22. ^ "Belgian leader makes anthem gaffe". BBC News. 23 July 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  23. ^ "De lijdensweg van de regering-Leterme" (in Dutch). VRT web site deredactie.be. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2011. "Op 21 juli, de nationale feestdag, giet Leterme dan nog eens ongewild olie op het vuur door de Marseillaise te zingen in plaats van de Brabançonne".
  24. ^ "Danish anthem played for Spanish winner Contador". Reuters. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  25. ^ Aroon, Preeti (11 March 2008). "Top Chinese athlete shrugs off anthem snafu". Foreign Policy.
  26. ^ "2008 Valencia GP2 Feature Race (video)". vk.com. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Los italianos ponen el himno equivocado a Alberto Contador". Marca. 2011-05-29.
  28. ^ "BFA Apologize for Playing Wrong Anthem". Bernews. 10 October 2011.
  29. ^ Plumb, Alistair (8 March 2023). "Kazakh Ski Festival Organisers Play Ricky Martin's 'Livin' La Vida Loca' Instead Of National Anthem". Huffington Post.
  30. ^ "Borat anthem stuns Kazakh gold medallist in Kuwait". BBC. 23 March 2012.
  31. ^ "GB apologise over SA anthem error". BBC Sport. 6 June 2012.
  32. ^ Fox, Jack (18 June 2013). "Australian men's hockey side greeted by New Zealand national anthem: Video". Metro.
  33. ^ "National Anthem Antics: 6 Times Stadiums Got it Totally Wrong in International Fixtures". 90Min. 8 September 2019. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019.
  34. ^ "Ukraine plays Russian anthem in error at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships for winner Ganna Rizatdinova". The Courier Mail. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023.
  35. ^ "Wrong anthem played at World Gymnastics Championships (Video)". NBC Sports. 12 October 2014.
  36. ^ "National anthem replaced by Linkin Park song at Malta-Slovakia friendly". MaltaToday. 5 September 2014.
  37. ^ "Гимн СССР на матче КХЛ / Slovan sets USSR anthem for Lokomotiv". KHL. 26 November 2014.
  38. ^ "Организаторы женского МЧМ по хоккею извинились за ошибку с гимном РФ / Organizers of the Women's World Hockey Championship apologized for the mistake with the Russian anthem". ria.ru. 12 January 2015.
  39. ^ "Инцидент с гимном России на молодёжном чемпионате мира среди женских команд / Incident with the Russian anthem at the World Youth Women's Championship". Денис / Denis. 10 January 2015.
  40. ^ Deutsche Gold-Rodler mit DDR-Hymne geehrt, focus.de 2015-02-14.
  41. ^ "Manx anthem played by mistake at Argentina v El Salvador game". BBC News. 30 March 2015.
  42. ^ "เปิดเพลงชาติฮอนดูรัสผิด? Wrong national anthem of Honduras". The Stadiumhopper. 1 February 2015.
  43. ^ "Mexico beat Uruguay after Copa América plays Chile anthem by mistake". The Guardian. 2016-06-06.
  44. ^ "Nigeria fans furious after wrong anthem played before opening Olympic football match in Rio". The Daily Telegraph, Australia. 2016-08-05.
  45. ^ "Rio Olympics: Organisers apologise to Nigeria over wrong anthem". Business Day. 2016-08-07.
  46. ^ "Wrong anthem played for gold medallists". BBC News.
  47. ^ "US Tennis says sorry for using Nazi-era anthem before Germany Fed Cup match". The Guardian. 2017-12-12.
  48. ^ "Hockey championship tourney accidentally plays Slovenian anthem after Slovakia victory". SBNation. 2017-05-07.
  49. ^ WWOS Staff (24 July 2017). "Belarus triple jumper Violetta Skvortsova smirks and walks off over wrong anthem at medal ceremony". Nine.com.au. Nine Network. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  50. ^ "When Charles Leclerc won the 2017 Formula two Championship and the wrong national anthem was played for his podium celebrations". The Sports Rush. 2022-07-20.
  51. ^ "Перепутали гимн: россиянам напомнили о СССР". Gazeta. 2018-03-29.
  52. ^ "Wrong Russian national anthem - Nikita Troitckii - Euro F3 Zandvoort Race 3". July 15, 2018 – via YouTube.
  53. ^ "Gibraltar enjoy historic first win after anthem blunder". 13 October 2018.
  54. ^ "S. Korea files complaint over use of N. Korean anthem at youth football tournament". The Investor. 2018-10-23.
  55. ^ "National anthems of Gibraltar and Macedonia (19.11.2018)". YouTube. 20 November 2018.
  56. ^ "Норвегия - Беларусь. Гимн Беларуси - "Касіў Ясь канюшыну"". YouTube. 2018-12-17.
  57. ^ "Italian choir mistakenly sings Franco-era national anthem to the King of Spain". City AM. 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  58. ^ White, Jim (30 September 2019). "Musical insults to national sensitivities are nothing new in sport - the Georgia Rugby World Cup gaffe is just the latest". The Telegraph.
  59. ^ "France apologises to Albania for playing wrong anthem at Euro 2020 qualifier". rfi. 2019-09-09.
  60. ^ "F'We are sincerely sorry': Wrong anthem played for Moldova at ATP Cup". The Guardian. 2020-01-03.
  61. ^ "Tokyo 2020 apologises after using wrong anthem for RPC at Paralympics". 27 August 2021.
  62. ^ "'Negaraku' Was Mistakenly Played For The Indonesia Team During FIFA World Cup Qualifiers". Says. 2021-06-14.
  63. ^ "Dinamo Minsk kräver straff efter nationalsångsfadäsen i Helsingfors – här är dj:ns förklaring: "Greps av panik"". Yleisradio. 2021-12-23.
  64. ^ "AFCON out of tune: Wrong Mauritanian anthem played… three times". 13 January 2022.
  65. ^ "THE FFF APOLOGISES FOR PLAYING THE ALBANIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM FOR THE FINNISH WOMEN'S TEAM". Get French Football News. 2022-02-17.
  66. ^ "Boxen: Voraberger geht nach Hymnen-Fauxpas k. O." 14 May 2022.
  67. ^ "SERENAY ÇETİN vs EVA VORABERGER". YouTube. 22 May 2022.
  68. ^ "Rahul Gandhi trolled as Nepal's national anthem plays at Bharat Jodo Yatra instead of India's; BJP slams Congress leader over goof-up : The Tribune India".
  69. ^ "Hong Kong protest song plays instead of China anthem in rugby final mix-up". CNN. 2022-11-14.
  70. ^ "Another national anthem blunder at sporting event". RTHK News. 2022-12-03.
  71. ^ "Protest song Glory to Hong Kong played again at sporting event instead of Chinese, as gov't demands probe". Hong Kong Free Press. 1 March 2023.
  72. ^ Mehdiyev, Elchin (19 November 2023). "Belgium vs. Azerbaijan soccer match starts with error from hosts (VIDEO)". Trend News Agency. Baku, Azerbaijan. Retrieved 30 April 2024.