Vice-president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SF&OC) Kenneth Fok on Saturday urged the public to turn its attention to how to prevent further blunders involving the national anthem, rather than pointing fingers over a previous incident.

Fok spoke amid a dispute between the SF&OC and the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association, of which he is also the honorary president, after a song linked to the 2019 protests was played instead of the March of the Volunteers at a tournament in Bosnia.

"I really hope the public opinion can return to discussing how to better plug loopholes in national security. I saw that a lot of public opinion has recently deviated from this original intention and started to discuss many other things, including allegations against organisations, and even individuals," Fok told reporters.

"I will meet different stakeholders, including those from the ice hockey association, and athletes, and hope to better coordinate. I really hope and sincerely think that everyone can come together in harmony."

The sports federation has initiated suspension proceedings against the ice hockey body. On Friday, it criticised ice hockey officials for supplying what it said was false information in a report into the Bosnia incident.

The Ice Hockey Association had said in the report that it did not handle the national anthem in an "undignified" way. It denied the report contained false information.