While both Slovenia and Slovakia are competing in the IIHF World Championships in Germany this month, you don’t want to mix them up. Whoever was running the PA system Saturday in Cologne did just that, though, playing Slovenian anthem “Zdravljica” instead of Slovakian anthem “Nad Tatrou Sa Blýska” after Slovakia’s 3-2 overtime win over Italy. That led to the players looking unimpressed, and the fans booing:
That’s quite the mistake. While Slovenia is in the tournament too, they’re playing in the other group in Paris, losing 7-2 to Canada Sunday. So, there wasn’t a particular reason for organizers in Cologne to be thinking about the Slovenian national anthem. Instead, they should have been thinking about the Slovakian anthem, which goes like this:
It’s understandable why people sometimes get these countries confused. They’re under 300 miles from each other, and they have very similar flags and names. But still, you probably want to be a bit more careful when playing victors’ anthems. Otherwise, this kind of reaction is what you’re going to get.
Both teams next play Tuesday, with Slovenia taking on Norway in Paris and Slovakia facing Denmark in Cologne. Here’s hoping they get the anthems right this time.
[Deadspin]
