FEBRUARY 22, 2026 — The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics organizing committee has issued an apology following the discovery that an inaccurately designed South Korean flag, the Taegukgi, was displayed during multiple short track speed skating medal ceremonies.
The Chosun Ilbo says that the error involved the central taegeuk symbol, which was reportedly tilted counter-clockwise rather than following the standard horizontal alignment mandated by South Korean government specifications.
This error was first identified during the short track speed skating events at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, specifically affecting ceremonies for the men’s 1000-metre and 1500-metre races, as well as the women’s 1000-metre and 3000-metre relay.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) intervened on February 20 after confirming that the organizers had failed to use the high-resolution digital assets provided to them prior to the Games.
“We provide the organizing committee with official flag design files and national anthem audio that meet government-mandated specifications for every Olympics; this was not an error on our side,” a KSOC official stated. The delegation subsequently met with representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the local organizing committee to demand an immediate correction and an explanation for the oversight.
In response to the formal grievance, the IOC and the Milano-Cortina organizers acknowledged the manufacturing error and committed to reprinting the flags to ensure the Taegeuk symbol aligned with the correct horizontal and vertical axes.
The corrected version of the Taegukgi was successfully debuted during the medal ceremonies for the men’s 5000-metre relay and the women’s 1500-metre short track events on Friday, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Image: Chosun Ilbo
