The 2024 Paris Olympics Fails: The Moments That Made Us Go “WTF?”
Here are some of the worst fails that came from the Games.
As the 2024 Paris Olympics come to an end, here are some of the worst fails that came from the Games.
1. French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati was denied a medal after his bulge knocked out the bar
2. The Olympics introduced South Korea as North Korea during the opening ceremony and later apologized
The organizers of the Paris Olympics have apologized after South Korea was mistakenly introduced as North Korea in both French and English during the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26.
As the South Korea boat sailed down the Seine River, both French and English announcers introduced the team as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea", which is the official name for North Korea.
However, the banner at the bottom of the TV broadcast displayed the correct name, which is the "Republic of Korea".
The North Korean team was then also introduced as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" later in the ceremony.
The Olympics has since issued an apology in Korean on its X account, writing, "We would like to offer a deep apology over the mistake that occurred in the introduction of the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony."
3. Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon staged sleeping in a park and went viral because people thought it was due to no AC
4. The Olympic flag was raised upside down during the opening ceremony
5. The Olympics played Sudan’s national anthem for South Sudan’s men’s basketball team and apologized
Paris 2024 Olympics organizers played the wrong national anthem ahead of South Sudan’s Olympic debut in men’s basketball.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war.
Instead of hearing « South Sudan Oyee!” , players and fans heard the national anthem of Sudan being played.
In a clip of the moment, the South Sudanese players can be seen preparing for the anthem before becoming visibly confused.
The audio track is then abruptly cut off to boos from the crowd.
An announcer can then be heard apologizing for a “technical error.”
6. Canada’s women’s football team staff were caught spying on New Zealand’s closed practice sessions with a drone
7. The Seine’s water quality led practices to be canceled and Belgium and Switzerland to withdraw from the triathlon
8. Canadian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk vomiting after finishing his race was broadcast on live TV
Canadian athlete Tyler Mislawchuk was seen vomiting on camera after the Men’s Triathlon event at the Paris Olympics, sparking yet another debate about the water quality of the Seine.
The actual men’s triathalon event itself was postponed from Tuesday, July 30 to Wednesday, July31.
29-year-old Mislawchuk finished ninth in the event, and upon crossing the finish line, he proceeded to throw up on live TV.
In a clip that has since gone viral online, the camera then pans away to show other athletes sitting or dropping to the ground in exhaustion.
Speaking to Triathlon Magazine after the race, Mislawchuk said he had gone all out to try to win a medal after he was forced to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to an Achilles injury.
"I have no ‘what ifs’ on the day, I went for it, it was absolutely everything," he said. "I vomited 10 times after the race… It got hot in the last laps.