An error in printing the Indonesian flag upside down in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games booklet created a diplomatic furore between Malaysia and Indonesia.
Flags are a major issue in sporting events.
Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the US national anthem in protest of police brutality and racism against African-Americans was painted as an act of disrespect to the American flag by it’s president Donald Trump.
The Iron Front flag, which sports a symbol widely regarded as anti-fascist, had been banned at MLS stadiums until it was temporarily lifted earlier this week. The flag’s symbol — three arrows pointed Southwest inside a circle — is from an anti-Nazi paramilitary organization that originated in Germany in the 1930s.
Last week, Spark and TVNZ were forced to apologise to the Samoans after they used the Tongan flag instead of the Samoan flag during their Rugby World Cup coverage.
Following protests, authorities in eastern France rescinded a ban they had issued forbidding soccer fans from Israel from flying their country’s flag during the match between Maccabi Haifa and the Strasbourg Racing Club at the Strasbourg stadium.
The Turkish government condemned the organisers of the European Handball Federation Cup in Greece for allegedly not allowing the display of the Turkish flag during two matches between Turkey’s Muratpaşa Belediyespor and Greece’s PAOK earlier this month.
And the latest flag related complain comes a year even before the first event at the 2020 Japan Olympics starts.
South Korean Olympic officials have called for Japan to ban its Rising Sun flag at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, claiming it represents a militaristic and imperial past.
While Japan sees nothing wrong with the usage of the flag by its sports fans, the South Korean view it as a symbol of Japan’s aggression during World War II.
FIFA, the football governing body, is one sports organisation that has banned the use of the flag. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) imposed sanctions against Japan after their fans displayed the flag during the AFC Champions League in 2017.
The International Olympic Council (IOC) have been urged to step in and direct the Japanese organisers to ban the usage of the Rising Sun flag during the Olympics.
The IOC, have yet to take such steps although they were of the opinion that the sports arenas should be free of any political demonstrations.
Tokyo 2020, in a statement recently had indicated that the flag itself was not considered to be a political statement, so it would not be viewed as a prohibited item.
The flag controversy comes amid an ongoing trade spat between the two countries, which has been boiling since July.
South Korea has also not been invited to participate in an international naval review set to be held in Japan next month, amid worsening bilateral ties. Last October, Japan canceled its participation in a naval review in South Korea after Seoul requested Tokyo refrain from flying the Rising Sun flag.
The feud casts a shadow over the 2020 Olympics with no clear and immediate resolution. Korean politicians have raised the prospect of an Olympic boycott, but many do not feel that would be actually be carried out.
The Seoul Olympics in 1988 was boycotted by a handful of countries led by North Korea while the Moscow Olympics in 1980 saw 65 countries and regions led by the US staying away.
It is highly unlikely that the current spat between the two countries would gain much traction with other participating countries.
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