Olympics Hit Controversial Snag, North Korea Delays Start at Hampden Park

Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland was the site of the first hiccup of international proportions for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Group play for women's soccer began, but one fixture was delayed well over 40 minutes due to some shuffling behind the scenes. 

The Wall Street Journal reports North Korean officials delayed due to images of the South Korean flag being shown in the stadium and in the tunnel where the players line up. 

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An official said that the North Koreans objected to the placement of the South Korean flag directly in front of the tunnel entrance to the field and an apparent mistake that placed the South Korean flag on the scoreboard before the game.

The match between North Korea and Colombia was supposed to start at 7:45 p.m. local time. A security worker said officials at Hampden Park said the North Koreans grew angry because the South Korean flag flashed on the stadium’s scoreboard.

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ESPN UK brought the world up to speed on the row.

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BREAKING: North Korea's women's football team are refusing to start their match with Colombia due to a dispute over a flag being displayed.

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 25, 2012"

Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Eisenberg actually has a picture to provide of the flag debacle via his Twitter feed.

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Here's a picture of the flag mix-up that has caused the North Korean soccer team to refuse to take the field: twitter.com/jamescrossan/s…

— Jeff Eisenberg (@JeffEisenberg) July 25, 2012"

It would seem petty and counter to the sentiment of the Olympic Games to hold a grudge for a simple mistake, but that would be to agree the mistake was indeed simple. 

Human error withstanding, this is a huge gaffe when you consider the feelings shared between North and South Korea. 

Such a mistake was bound to have tremendous implications. It's no miracle North Korea finally relented, most likely wanting to merely call attention to the error. 

For that small mistake, a full hour was wasted at the Summer Olympics.

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