Hong Kong: After the Chinese national anthem was substituted during a match in South Korea with a song from the city’s protest movement, the Hong Kong authorities have sharply criticized a rugby sevens competition.

Authorities stated that they strongly deplore and oppose the scenario where the Chinese national anthem was replaced by a song connected to “violent protests” and the pro-independence movement in 2019.

Although the song’s title was not released, an online video from the match showed that it was Glory to Hong Kong, a song that gained popularity during the 2019 protest movement. Glory to Hong Kong was played before the cup final game between South Korea and Hong Kong in Incheon. The administration has demanded a probe into the incident in a statement.

During the 2019 protest movement, a group of local activists wrote and posted the song online as a protest against the passage of an extradition bill. Even though the song is legal on paper, it is dangerous to play it in public after Hong Kong’s national security law was introduced in June 2020.

Despite winning the game 19 to 12, the Hong Kong Rugby Union has not yet posted a victory celebration on its social media pages, and Asia Rugby’s different platforms did not offer live streams of the contest. Authorities in Hong Kong reported that Rugby Asia had expressed regret for the incident and said the error “was caused by human error of a junior staff” at the regional organizer.

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