Olympics viewers outraged after BBC makes huge national anthem blunder

Viewers of the 2024 Paris Olympics have been left lost for words following an almighty blunder from a BBC commentator.

The commentator in question, Ed Leigh, was doing the broadcast as Team GB star Toby Roberts won gold in men's combined climbing today (9 August).

19-year-old Roberts took home the gold and gave Team GB our 14th Olympic gold medal.

The favourite to win had been Japan's Anraku Sorato, who came second.

Social media has been sent into a state of mayhem after Leigh referred to the national anthem as 'God Save the Queen' after the podium ceremony.

As Roberts stood on the podium and posed with his medal, the national anthem played - 'God Save the King'.

Leigh said in the voiceover: "Very stirring rendition of God Save the Queen.

"And in just his first full season of elite-level climbing, Toby Roberts has left his mark.

"A gold medal at the Olympics ahead of his arch-rival and good friend, Anraku Sorato, and one of the legends of the sport, Austria's Jakob Schubert."

'God Save the Queen' is the national anthem many of us are used to, having grown up with it and heard it for most of our lives.

Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, King Charles was coronated on 6 May 2023, and his wife Camilla became Queen Consort.

While it seems like a truly honest mistake, not everybody has been so forgiving.

One person posted on X: "Tut tut big mistake!!! whoever is commenting on the climbing the olympics commented 'a rendition of God Save the Queen'."

Another said: "@BBCSportOlympic, if you're going to present on TV, present correctly. When Toby Roberts stepped on the podium, the presenter said God Save the Queen when the national anthem was being played!"

A third added: "A stirring rendition of 'God Save The Queen' according to the Beeb's commentator during Toby Roberts' Medal presentation. This is awkward. Who wants to tell him, @BBCSport..."

At the time of writing, BBC are yet to acknowledge the blunder.

After his win, Roberts told the BBC: "I'm absolutely lost for words. To find out I've got the gold in that moment was truly incredible. I've been training for this moment my whole life.

"To say it hasn't sunk in is just an understatement. I don't really know what to think right now. I imagine later there'll be a flood of emotions and I'll realise it's a goal I've been training towards for 10 years basically. No words."