Asian rugby body admits it failed to send copy of Chinese national anthem to Korea for Hong Kong team use after protest song blunder
- Asia Rugby repeatedly apologises for error at a press conference while insisting its organising partner in South Korea had made an honest mistake
- Chief Executive John Lee says police looking into whether conspiracy to breach any Hong Kong legislation was involved
The governing body for rugby in Asia has come clean and admitted it failed to send a recording of the Chinese national anthem for use at a match in Korea involving Hong Kong, where a 2019 protest song was played instead, sparking condemnation from city officials and politicians.
While Asia Rugby repeatedly apologised for the blunder at a press conference on Tuesday, it insisted its organising partner in South Korea had made an honest mistake with no “malicious” intent. The Hong Kong Rugby Union, meanwhile, warned it would pull out of future competitions if similar errors occurred.
The regional body’s admission came a day after it offered its “sincere apologies” to both the city’s government and Beijing for the playing of “Glory to Hong Kong” rather than “March of the Volunteers” before the final of the second leg of the Asian Rugby Seven Series on Sunday in Incheon.
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Hong Kong leader John Lee says protest song at rugby finals ‘unacceptable’
A game of finger-pointing unfolded on Tuesday after a source from the Korea Rugby Union, which was involved in organising the tournament, told the Post it had not received a recording of the national anthem.
Later in the day, Asia Rugby’s interim chief executive Benjamin van Rooyen admitted his officials had not passed the correct national anthem – which it had received from the Hong Kong Rugby Union at an event in Bangkok last month – to their Korean counterparts on the assumption they already had the file in their records.
“We have to take into consideration that Korea Rugby [Union] had on file the anthem they played in July when Hong Kong played against Korea,” he said, referring to a 15-a-side match also in Incheon.