NZ athletes limited to one verse of anthem

New Zealand’s Olympians can sing only one verse of the national anthem at the Tokyo Games – and it’s up to them to choose which version.

Many Kiwis have become accustomed to singing the first verse of their anthem in te reo Ma¯ ori and the second in English.

But under International Olympic Committee rules anthems cannot be longer than 80 seconds, meaning some nations have to accept condensed versions.

The NZOC has no protocols around which verse of God Defend New Zealand/ Aotearoa should be sung.

‘‘It’s left to individual choice,’’ a NZOC spokesperson said.

That’s in line with Ministry of Culture and Heritage protocols, which state: ‘‘There are no guidelines for performing God Defend New Zealand in both English and Ma¯ori, and you can choose which order to sing the versions in. When singing the first verse in Ma¯ ori the practice is to repeat the verse in English.’’

Many members of the women’s and men’s football squads – the first Kiwi athletes to compete at the Tokyo Games – appeared to be singing in te reo.

Some members of the 211-strong New Zealand Olympic squad were filmed sharpening their anthem singing skills in a Tokyo studio.