The city's weightlifting and powerlifting body has apologised for an earlier remark made by its chairwoman which the government said was a suspected violation of the one-China principle.

The Hong Kong, China Weightlifting and Powerlifting Association also said Josephine Ip made the blunder with the intention of simplifying a long sentence when giving a speech on May 6.

At the opening ceremony of the Asian Equipped Powerlifting Championship and the Asian University Cup, Ip mentioned that the event, which featured competitors from the SAR and Chinese Taipei, had "lifters and officials from 13 countries".

Her remarks drew condemnation from the administration on Friday, which called Ip's remarks "absolutely unacceptable".

"The statement is grossly inconsistent with the fact that delegations from Hong Kong, China and Chinese Taipei participated as regional teams. It gives rise to suspected violation of the one-China principle," a government spokesperson said in a statement.

In response, the sports body explained that there were initially competitors from 16 countries and regions, but ultimately only representatives from 13 nations and two regions participated in the event.

"During her speech, chairwoman Ip found that the script did not match the actual number of participating teams. She also felt that the sentence was too long. So she simplified the sentence to 'this time, we have lifters and officials from 13 countries'," the association said.

"She mistakenly omitted 'regions' and created misunderstanding. This was a serious oversight."

The association also said the speech did not mean to imply "Hong Kong independence", and that it firmly supports and upholds the Basic Law and the one-China principle.

The chairwoman will be more cautious and will review public speeches before giving them to ensure similar incidents won't happen again, the association added.

The powerlifting and weightlifting association has submitted a report to the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China on Saturday.