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Explainer | Why national anthem blunders have left Hong Kong rugby reeling and what is being done to stop same mistakes from occurring again
- Protest song ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ played before rugby sevens game in South Korea, sparking political firestorm
- Two more incidents related to the national anthem subsequently revealed
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A political storm has engulfed the Hong Kong rugby team after a song associated with the 2019 anti-government protests was played at a game in South Korea instead of the Chinese national anthem, drawing the ire of government officials and sparking a police probe.
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The saga snowballed after it was revealed the Chinese national anthem was also mislabelled on two previous occasions, with officials calling the repeated blunders “unbelievable”.
On Tuesday, after discussion with the Hong Kong government, the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, issued guidelines to sports associations under its wing on how to avoid and respond to similar blunders in international sports events.
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In this explainer, the Post breaks down the debacle and the political fallout from the string of slip-ups.
1. How did we get here?
Ahead of the final of the second leg of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series in Incheon, South Korea on November 13, the song “Glory to Hong Kong” was played instead of the Chinese national anthem “March of the Volunteers” as the Hong Kong team prepared to take on the hosts.
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