EditorialHong Kong athletes must not face music in anthem row
- Serious action needs to be taken against organisers of sporting events should Hong Kong protest song continue to be played instead of ‘March of the Volunteers’
A costly or embarrassing blunder usually ensures that the same mistake is not made twice. A case in point is the uproar over the playing of a protest song aimed at the Hong Kong government, instead of the national anthem, at a rugby competition in South Korea involving a team from the city.
The authorities had put new rules in place to prevent any repetition, but it has happened again, this time at the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship in Dubai.
A video posted online shows the protest song being played instead of “March of the Volunteers” during a medal ceremony at which Hong Kong’s Susanna Lin was awarded gold. Thankfully, the new rules did not prove entirely futile.
When she heard the protest song, Lin followed advice given to athletes, making the timeout “T” sign with her hands to alert organisers to the blunder. As a result the song was stopped and the national anthem played.
But how did it get this far? After all, the new rules were designed to prevent similar mistakes and to guide city teams on how to behave should they recur. Team leaders are responsible for ensuring event organisers have the right anthem and flag.