Asia Rugby chief apologises in Hong Kong for anthem mix-up
HONG KONG: The president of Asia Rugby apologised in person in Hong Kong on Tuesday (Nov 22) after a democracy protest song was played instead of the Chinese national anthem at a South Korean tournament, the city's government said.
Hong Kong police also said they would press charges against a local man for making "seditious" online posts that included thanking South Korea for the anthem mix-up.
The city's sports teams play the Chinese national anthem but the protest song was broadcast before Hong Kong played South Korea in the final of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Incheon on November 13.
The Hong Kong government reacted with fury, with the city's leader John Lee ordering a police probe and the number two official meeting South Korea's top diplomat to request Seoul conduct its own investigation.
It said in a statement on Tuesday Qais Abdulla Al Dhalai, the president of Asia Rugby, flew to the city to apologise to Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki.
"He said that the incident was due to a human error, entirely without any political or malicious intent, from a junior member of the local organiser concerned," the statement said.
Dhalai also undertook that all tournament organisers must obtain the national anthems of competing teams from a centralised archive managed by Asia Rugby.
A statement by Asia Rugby offering the same explanation last week failed to mollify many critics, including some nationalist legislators who called for the disbanding of Hong Kong's rugby team.
Two other anthem mix-ups were found in the past week at Rugby World Cup matches this month and in July, when the correct anthem was played but the protest song's title appeared on screen.
The protest song "Glory to Hong Kong", written by an anonymous composer in 2019,