New anthem and flag guidelines will not put extra burden on athletes, Hong Kong’s sports federation says
- There is ‘space’ for discussion penalties, says federation’s Ronnie Wong, but provides no details of how they would be issued, with violations to be handled individually
- Acting sports commissioner Paul Cheng adds that national associations, not athletes, will bear the brunt of any violations
The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, offered the reassurance following a briefing on Thursday with more than 350 representatives from all 82 national sports associations under its umbrella.
Unveiled on Tuesday after consultation between the federation and the government, the guidelines instruct the leader of a Hong Kong sporting delegation to direct athletes in making a “T” sign with their hands if they notice anything amiss with the national anthem or Hong Kong flag during international events.
The leader - who does not need to be an athlete - and the team would also be asked to leave the venue if there were no immediate corrections, returning only when the error had been fixed.
“All [national sports associations] were clear about the protocol regarding the flag and national anthem. There were lots of questions that we answered, but we all think the meeting was constructive and will follow the guidelines,” said Ronnie Wong Man-chiu, honorary secretary general of the federation. “We don’t think our guidelines have anything to do with penalising our athletes.”
Wong said that there was “space” for discussion of possible penalties, but did not explain how they would be issued, saying violations would be handled individually.
He refrained from addressing whether frontline team leaders and athletes had been consulted in drafting the guidelines.
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Wong stressed all national sports associations had understood and accepted the guidelines, saying athletes should not be affected by the new protocols.
Paul Cheng Ching-wan, acting commissioner for sports from the Cultural, Sports and Tourism Bureau, added that national sports associations, not athletes, would bear the brunt of any violations.
“We understand that athletes would be focused on the competition and might be a bit nervous - we will take this into account in our consideration,” Cheng said.
Under the new guidelines, leaders of sporting delegations would have to pass on a hard copy of the national anthem with a proper description including its name, as well as a Hong Kong flag to the event organiser with official confirmation before the games.
The leader would then have to check whether the event organiser had the national anthem and the city’s flag.
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National sport associations could have their committee membership and government funding suspended if they failed to comply with the new guidelines.
Eugenia Chung Nga-chi, principal assistant secretary of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, took part in the meeting, as did Robbie McRobbie, the CEO of the Hong Kong Rugby Union.
He said that while the team was upset over the national anthem mix-ups, the new guidelines were helpful and would be fully implemented in the coming match in Dubai on Saturday.
“They were understandably upset over what’s happened, but they are determined to go out there this weekend and to show that Hong Kong athletes and the rugby team are fully supportive of our city and fully respect the national anthem,” he said.
A political storm erupted on November 13 after the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” - which originated during the anti-government demonstrations in 2019 - was played instead of the national anthem “March of the Volunteers” at a match in South Korea.
Two more similar blunders involving the anthem’s incorrect labelling on live broadcasts also came to light later.
