DJ issues apology after playing the wrong anthem at KHL game

Not exactly the proudest moment for Finnish DJ and reality TV star Amanda Harkimo. In a recent KHL game between Jokerit, the only Finnish team in the KHL, and Dinamo Minsk of Belarus, Harkimo accidentally played the wrong national anthem. When the crowd was asked to rise for the national anthem of Belarus, they were instead treated to the anthem for Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands that is part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean.

"It had absolutely nothing to do with anything other than my carelessness," said Harkimo. "Since our rivals are mainly Russian teams, I was ready to play the anthem of the Russian Federation. I realized that we were playing a team from Belarus only at the moment when the announcer asked the audience to stand in front for the performance of the national anthems of Belarus and Finland. At that moment I panicked and started looking for «BEL, Valko-Venäjä» on my computer and found nothing."

"By this point, the arena had been quiet for a very long time, and the anthem I played was the only option I could find. I sang the anthem of Belarus many times, but at that moment I simply could not find it - and I cannot understand why. I played the wrong one and am very sorry for this mistake. The correct anthem was in front of me all the time in my playlist called 'BLR' and I just panicked and ruined everything."

"This mistake was made by me and no one else. And it really was a mistake," Harkimo continued. "I apologize to all Dinamo Minsk fans, all players, management and staff. I really didn't mean to disrespect any of you."

In addition to being a DJ, Harkimo has appeared on several reality TV shows in Finland and one in Sweden. She competed on a season of Big Brother Finland, spending 39 days in the Big Brother house. She's also travelled to Russia and North America to interview KHL and NHL players about their lives and careers.

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