National anthem blunder: Hong Kong leader warns of ‘appropriate actions’ against sports officials, assures vigilant athletes they have nothing to fear
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Hong Kong’s leader has warned of “appropriate actions” against top officials of sports groups over national anthem blunders and assured athletes they will not be penalised if they abide by the rules, with the association involved in a recent mix-up at an ice hockey game saying it was ready to accept any consequences.
“The national anthem is a matter of dignity, it is a matter that deals with the emotion of our people. And the people, whose feelings will be hurt, must be taken care of,” Lee said before his weekly Executive Council meeting.
The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, which submitted a report on the incident to the government on Monday, has accused the city’s ice hockey association of “paying only lip service” to guidelines designed to prevent such blunders.
Noting the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will be meeting federation representatives to investigate the incident, Lee on Tuesday said follow-up actions would be taken.
“My guidance [on] this is very clear: those who are in management or who are the leading officials of any sports organisations, if they haven’t done what they should do, then they should be held accountable and actions should be taken appropriately,” he warned.
“But I also want to ensure that the players who have done their part, that their interest should be taken care of ... [and] they will not be affected [in] their training and participation in games,” Lee said.