Did this really happen, or is it dubbed? Glory to Hong Kong played as city’s anthem at a rugby tournament in South Korea. The government issues a ‘strongly deploring’ statement demanding a ‘full and in-depth investigation’ – so it seems it did. The vacant-but-solemn looks on the players’ faces suggest they had no idea anything was amiss. (One of those accidental slip-ups, presumably. How do events organizers pick anthems? Do the teams email an mp3?)
Financial Secretary meanwhile bemoans the state of the economy. How much of the government’s HK$100 billion deficit comprises expenditure on quarantine camps, compulsory testing and other (allegedly) pointless Covid outlays?
How Mainlanders avoid online censorship by criticizing government Covid policies in Cantonese.
If Scotland, which when I last looked was still part of the UK (just) can play ‘Flower of Scotland’ before intrnational games as opposed to ‘God Save the King’, then why can’t Hong Kong be allowed similar privilage to play ‘Glory to HK’?
What a difference a week makes. The other Sunday wee John Lee was hobnobbing sans mask with the elite strata of our rugger bugger community, then we have the accidental anthem in Korea. It couldn’t get more schadenfreude for such a cosy cult.
As a long-suffering (black n’ red) supporter of our rugby community, I now see the benefit of mask wearing: one’s smirk can be concealed when poker-faced committee men berate anyone prepared to listen how this has hurt their sport – a game that has long been based on sh&thousery and often-inspired practical jokes.
Using the Sevens to declare “Hong Kong is Back” was indeed a jolly jape.
Just returned to the Dysfunctional Red vs Blue States of So Called America to escape the incessant “news”, hat-in-hand begging for donations and divining about So Called elections.
Escaped to….HONG KONG (initially TST to be more precise)!! Was a not-too-Draconian few days of going to a community center for some quick swabs, taking photos of the same negative RAT test to be uploaded online, and wearing of the mask until entering bars/restaurants.
UNTIL… I joined up with my old mates on Lantau Pui O where masks were immediately chucked and hiking in the hills didn’t require eating bananas alone while not talking to anyone. It was a glorious break from So Called “democrazy” (in the word of famed CCPsycophant Pierce Lam of the SCCPMP Letters Section of ages ago).
I should have stayed longer.
I think they players (at least some of them) DID know what was happening, but they knew better than to react on camera. The coaching staff were obviously caught between giggling to each other and trying to stare at the ground deadpan.
Regarding the anthem.
All the outrage and calls for an enquiry &c.
Something that would have been/ignored/forgotten/unremarked now has international notice again making HKG a laughing stock.
They never learn.
Some people are never happy, are they? The HKSARG finally gets the solid win of a sports event where no one boos the anthem, but they’re still whining about it.
@Probably – Indeed. Ireland has two anthems: the raucous Soldier’s Song for home games and the more conciliatory Ireland’s Call; both of them are played at home games in Dublin and the Call when overseas. The Call symbolises the unity of players from all over the country and from both sides of the Unionist-Nationalist divide.
Great craic, no harm done and the mp4s never get mixed up with God Save the King, or the Sash.
HK players rehearse the “Arise Ye Who Refues to be Slaves” – so they’d be thinking what a waste of time on hearing the strains of Glory.
@Chinese Netizen – I hope you’re figuratively speaking by saying masks were “chucked” rather than pocketed or otherwise disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.
@ Probably
In MC parlance: Scotland can play Flower of Scotland because they are a Home Union. Hong Kong is not a Home Union so it can fuck off.
@Load Toad – indeed. Streisand with a side order of schadenfreude is a dish best served luke-warm.
It is actually not unusual for the wrong flag or anthem to be mistakenly used at international sporting events: see some cases at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/5-times-a-national-anthem-gaffe-gave-organisers-athletes-heartburn/pardon-my-french/slideshow/71591306.cms and https://vulcanpost.com/619002/sporting-events-flag-anthem-mixups-mistakes/.
That’s a good point, if I am singing Beyond at karaoke does that mean I am considered to be engaging in revolutionary activity…
To the “junior staff of the local organizer”…God bless you, you magnificent bastard.
“Ireland has two anthems: the raucous Soldier’s Song for home games and the more conciliatory Ireland’s Call; both of them are played at home games in Dublin and the Call when overseas. The Call symbolises the unity of players from all over the country and from both sides of the Unionist-Nationalist divide.”
It’s a bit more complicated than that. Amhránn Na Bhfiann (The Soldier’s Song, the national anthem of Ireland) is played where the team is exclusively from Ireland (the 26 county Republic), like soccer, etc. There are sports where the team is from all 32 counties of the island of Ireland, like Rugby Union, and for those sports both anthems are sung (Soldiers Song and Ireland’s Call). Home or away isn’t the distinction.
Thought for the week. How come Bradley is not bringing this community up to speed on the Crypto Crash?
And of course HKSARG with its finger as ever on the pulse and the uncanny ability to jump on trains that have already left the station has announced it is going to …………………. promote the city as an international cryptocurrency hub.