A Spanish athlete was forced to maintain a fixed smile at during a podium ceremony at the Badminton World Championships after organisers played the fascist version of her national anthem.
During the ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia Carolina Marin did not give anything away as the old lyrics to the Spanish national anthem “Royal March”, which have not been used since 1978, played alongside the music.
The 22-year-old world number old smiled and pointedly looked ahead as the Spanish flag was raised to mark her victory over Indian player Salina Nehwal, the Local reports.
The lyrics, composed by fascist poet Jose Maria Peman, were abandoned three years after the return to democracy after General Franco’s death in 1975.
The online edition of the El Mundo newspaper called the use of the old lyrics a “serious mistake on the part of tournament organisers.”
Carolina Marin (right) with her rival Salina Nehwal
Nor is it the first time that the fascist lyrics have made a reappearance at a medals ceremony.
When cyclist Alberto Contador won the Giro d’Italia in 2011, the Italian organisers made the same mistake as the Indonesians.
Two years later, French officials accidentally played the Danish national anthem instead when Contador won the Tour de France in 2009.
Read More:
Jamie Foxx panned for 'butchering' US national anthem at Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight
Sinead O'Connor records a whole new Irish national anthem
And it is not just Spain which has been on the receiving end of national anthem faux pas.
Back in 2012, Kazakhstani target shooting champion Maria Dmitrienko had to listen to spoof version of her national anthem from the Sacha Baron Cohen film Borat during a medal ceremony.
The spoof anthem mocks the country, boasting it invented toffee, trousers and had the second cleanest prostitutes in the region. The movie is banned in Kazakhstan. Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures
The incident, at the 10th Arab Shooting Championships in Kuwait, lead to Kazakhstan team demanding the medal ceremony be rerun with the correct anthem played.
