Hong Kong athletes to make ‘T’ sign if they spot anthem, flag blunders at sports events, new guidelines state
- Guidelines issued by top sports body on same day head of Asia Rugby travels to Hong Kong to apologise for anthem blunder last week at match in South Korea
- Sports teams also told to designate leader to warn athletes of any issues and direct their departure from game if problem is not immediately corrected
Hong Kong athletes should make a “T” sign with their hands if they notice anything amiss when the Chinese national anthem and the city’s flag are used at international sporting events under a new set of sector-wide guidelines.
The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong issued the protocols on Tuesday as Asia Rugby’s president Qais Abdulla al-Dhalai flew from Dubai to offer an apology to No 2 official Eric Chan Kwok-ki after a protest song was played instead of “March of the Volunteers” during a game in South Korea last week.
“[The president] totally agreed that the national anthem is the symbol and sign of a nation and must be respected on all occasions, hence his apology extended in person to the government and people of [Hong Kong], and undertook to ensure no similar mistake will happen again,” the government read.
According to authorities, the president admitted the incident was due to a “human error, entirely without any political or malicious intent”, while Chan reminded Asia Rugby that there was “absolutely no room for any mistake” in future tournaments joined by the city, including the third leg of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai this month.
