The Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SF&OC) on Monday said it is surprised to find out that the organiser of the Asian Rugby Seven Series had played the wrong song in place of the national anthem at a tournament in South Korea, adding that it finds the host’s explanation unacceptable.

The song, which is associated with violent protests in 2019, was played as the Hong Kong sevens team prepared to play South Korea in Sunday's final of the second leg of the Asian Rugby Sevens Series in Incheon.

The event organiser, Asia Rugby, had apologised to the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU), saying it was a result of human error by a junior staff member.

The SF&OC said it finds the explanation unacceptable.

“SF&OC is surprised by the mistake made by the organiser of Asian Rugby Seven Series. The initial explanation provided by the organiser is unacceptable. SF&OC has instructed HKRU to conduct in-depth investigation and follow up to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” the committee wrote in a statement.

“The national anthem is a symbol of the country, the playing and singing of the national anthem is a solemn ceremony. Athletes representing Hong Kong, China in international games and competitions shall fully reflect this spirit to preserve the dignity of the national anthem.”

The Hong Kong government has also expressed its displeasure over what happened and demanded that the HKRU launch a detailed investigation.

In a statement, Asia Rugby said it deeply regrets the incident.

The statement says Asia Rugby and Korea Rugby Union would like to sincerely apologise to the Chinese and Hong Kong governments as well as the HKRU.

"The incident happened due to a simple human error from a junior member of the local organising committee, playing a song downloaded from the internet instead of the correct anthem," Asia Rugby said, adding that the national anthem was played afterwards.

Asia Rugby said it took the match footage off the air immediately and replaced it with the correct anthem on its social media platforms.
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Last updated: 2022-11-14 HKT 16:53