Foul play on anthem must be cleared up
- Playing of protest song before match involving Hong Kong rugby team has struck a raw nerve and needs to be investigated
The playing of national anthems at sports events may go wrong for many reasons. Embarrassing as they are, such mistakes often end up as nothing more than a political storm in a teacup.
The severity of the matter is reflected in a strongly worded statement from the Hong Kong government, which said it “strongly deplores and opposes” the playing of a tune that was “closely associated with violent protests and the ‘independence’ movement in 2019”.
Police are investigating whether any conspiracy to breach the national anthem law or any other legislation is involved. There are also calls to send national security personnel overseas to investigate.
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Hong Kong leader John Lee says protest song at rugby finals ‘unacceptable’
Attention has been further drawn to the response of Hong Kong players at the scene, with some Beijing loyalists saying they should have immediately protested and left the field.
According to the government, Asia Rugby, the region’s governing body for the sport, had earlier confirmed that the coach of the visiting team had submitted a recording of the anthem.
The error was said to have been committed by a junior staff member of the local organiser, the Korea Rugby Union, which “inadvertently” downloaded the wrong song from the internet.
But yesterday the Korean body was quoted as saying it had never received a recording from the Hong Kong team. Asia Rugby later admitted that it had not passed the anthem to the organiser.
Rugby body admits it failed to send anthem after Hong Kong protest song blunder
Given there are protocols when national anthems are played at international sports events, it is hard to believe the mix-up was just human error. But the fact that there have been blunders concerning national flags and anthems from time to time shows nothing can be taken for granted.
There must be a clear explanation of what happened in light of the importance attached by city authorities.
Hong Kong sports bodies must also impress upon their overseas counterparts to remain vigilant and review procedures to avoid a recurrence. A full police investigation is also needed to clear the air.
