Reactions as Olympics MC wrongly pronounces Omanyala's name

A section of Kenyans on social media could not help but laugh out while reacting to a video of a master of ceremony at the Paris Olympics pronouncing Kenyan athlete Ferdinand Omanyala's name wrongly.

The video shared by CNN correspondent Larry Madowo, a Kenyan, showed Team Kenya taking part in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

As the excited flag-waving team floated down the River Seine, the English announcer struggled to pronounce the name of the Kenyan sprinter.

The announcer while recognising the team mentioned the names of flagbearers with Omanyala and volleyball player Trizah Atuka representing Kenya.

While he struggled a bit and got Africa's fastest man's first name, Ferdinand, right, she ended up pronouncing Omanyala as "Omanpayaya".

Though she also got Trizah's first name wrong, it is how she pronounced 'Omanyala' that left Kenyans in stitches.

"Ferdinand Omanpalyaya," Geoffrey Rono reacted to the video as she accompanied the caption with a laughing emoji.

Others, seemingly in jest, demanded an apology from the Olympic organisers even as some suggested legal action should be launched.

"We, the People of Kenya, demand a formal apology!" Okara Maranga stated in his reaction.

The Opening Ceremony was marred with some sort of confusion that saw organisers issue a "deep apology" after South Korea's athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea.

Both French and English announcers introduced them as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" - the official name of North Korea.

The same name was then used - correctly - when North Korea's delegation sailed past.

The two Koreas have been divided since the end of World War Two, with tensions between the states further escalating recently.

The subtitle which ran across the bottom of the television broadcast showed the correct title, however.

The South Korean sports ministry said it planned to lodge a "strong complaint with France on a government level" over the embarrassing gaffe.

In a statement, the ministry expressed "regret over the announcement... where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team."

The statement added that the second vice sports minister, Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, had demanded a meeting with Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an apology on its official Korean-language X account, saying: "We would like to offer a deep apology over the mistake that occurred in the introduction of the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony."

South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, has 143 athletes in its Olympic team this year, competing across 21 sports.

North Korea has sent 16 athletes. This is the first time it has competed in the games since Rio 2016.