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Opinion | Hong Kong Sevens defied Sars, now it must survive the most tumultuous of times
- Iconic event is the pride of Hong Kong – to let it become a victim of the violent protests would be the biggest blow for sport
- Government must bend over backwards to help rugby union put on a show for the world to see
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Why you can trust SCMP
Every day you wake up hoping a light bulb has gone off somewhere in Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s head – and she makes a little concession here and offers a little olive branch there. Instead, we get more protest violence and destruction, police beatings and a Hong Kong fast becoming Asia’s Worst City, rather than the self-proclaimed World City.
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With every fiery and violent image, with every story of people’s rights being eroded and with every billion lost to the economy, the world turns its back further on our city. The clash between authoritarian rule and democracy has manifested itself in many ways and everyone is paying the price.
In the supposedly feel-good sporting environment, events have fallen like ninepins. A few have wobbled but resolutely held their ground. Another bounced back upright after being flattened. But there is no escaping the paralysis seven months of anti-government protests have inflicted on sport in Hong Kong.
The Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, Hong Kong Squash Open, the Cross Harbour Swim, the Oxfam Trailwalker and world-class cycling and triathlon events fell by the wayside. The Hong Kong Badminton Open went ahead as tear gas and petrols bombs exploded outside the Coliseum in Hung Hom. So too did the World Cup cycling event in Tseung Kwan O, which is a protest hotspot.
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Another event, the highly prized Hong Kong Golf Open, bowed to the inevitable as the violence reached a peak at the Polytechnic University in November. When the siege ended and a relative calm descended over the city as the voices of democracy swept the district council elections, the Hong Kong Golf Club saw a window of opportunity and rescheduled the event for early January.
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