Recently, various international rugby games misplayed and/or miswrote the national anthem of Hong Kong. During the matches, the organizers mixed up the correct anthem with the anti-extradition movement anthem “Glory to Hong Kong” as the national anthem of Hong Kong instead of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) anthem.
The Hong Kong government and pro-CCP politicians protested against the incidents and expressed dissatisfaction.
The Hong Kong Police Force launched an investigation. The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong (SF & OC) released a statement on Nov. 22, stipulating that athletes must gesture a T-sign to oppose if the wrong national anthem was played. Otherwise, they would need to leave the stadium if it were not corrected immediately. The members would also be prohibited from accepting any regional flag an audience gave.
Current affairs commentators criticized that the guideline was absurd; it would only punish and prevent the Hong Kong teams from participating in sports competitions.
The government would require all sports associations to ensure the Hong Kong national anthem and regional flag comply with the stipulation. Members should strictly abide by the relevant instructions.
The official statement from SF & OC said, “the guidelines are to ensure that proper respect is afforded to our national anthem and regional flag.”
The guideline also stated that The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong would provide tool kits, which include two computer disks or external USBs containing the correct national anthem file and two regional flags for the members of National Sports Associations.
Before playing the national anthem or raising the regional flag, the designated team leader “must check with the organizer again on-site and confirm that all subtitles correctly display the name of the national anthem.”
The rules provided by the Protocol Division Government Secretariat also covered what the team should do in case an error occurred.
Participating athletes and teams should gesture “T” signs to express objection to the error made and call for a halt to the proceedings for immediate resolutions.
The guideline stated that if the organizers do not make an immediate correction, designated team leaders should lead the entire team to leave the venue.
The government protocol said that only when the event host corrected the error could the whole team line up to attend the ceremony again.
Although different sizes of regional flags would be allowed under the new rules, the new guideline prohibited any DIY (do it yourself) flags or accepting and using regional flags given by unknown people such as an audience member.
HKgov to Punish Teams for Organizers’ Errors
Current affairs commentator Anthony Cho Ka-chiu said on Hong Kong Uncensored on Nov. 22 that even if the guideline mentioned sanctions, they would only be used against Hong Kong sports players by banning them from attending a game.In other words, Cho meant the new protocol could not penalize or sanction sports game organizers or hosts.
Cho argued that international competitions usually would only issue apologies, and there would not be any legal action or law enforcement.
Pro-CCP Ronny Tong Ka-Wah, a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, recently suggested, “If anyone has broken the law, the government should reference international law and take action if possible.”
Cho pointed out that if the national anthem drama continued, it would only show the international community that Hong Kong was nothing but CCP’s servant, which would taint Hong Kong’s international image.
When the Asian Rugby Sevens Series took place in Incheon, South Korea, on Nov. 13, the organizer played the wrong anthem, the anti-extradition movement anthem “Glory to Hong Kong.”
At 02:38 on Nov. 14, the government released a statement protesting and criticizing the Incheon game organizer for playing the wrong song. The government described “Glory to Hong Kong” as a song “closely tied to rioting and calling for Hong Kong independence in 2019.”
It was reported that the regional flag displayed by the Hong Kong rugby team also looked different compared to the government version.
Hong Kong Rugby Union had previously explained that a Hong Kong fan who attended the Korean game gave the flag to the team. The union said they believed the fan had no malicious or inappropriate intentions.
In addition, the wrong name of the Hong Kong national anthem was displayed on the telecast of the 2023 Rugby World Cup Qualification Round on July 23, as well as at the “15-man Rugby World Cup Qualification International Heritage Competition” on July 6. The Hong Kong Rugby Union confirmed the incident on Nov. 19 via a statement.
The authorities are still investigating the causes of the anthem errors at the international games.
