Another National Anthem Blunder At Sporting Event

There's been another case of a song linked with violent protests in 2019 being wrongly played in the place of the national anthem at an international sporting event involving Hong Kong athletes.

The latest incident took place on Friday at the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the song being played after weight lifter Susanna Lin won a gold medal.

After around 15 seconds, she made a "T-sign" to signal there was a problem. Organisers then played the national anthem correctly.

After a similar blunder last month at an Asian rugby sevens game, the Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SF&OC) issued guidelines on how athletes should react if there were problems with the national anthem and the regional flag - including leaving the venue if the problem isn't rectified immediately.

The SF&OC said the Hong Kong Weightlifting and Powerlifting Association had provided organisers with the correct version of the national anthem.

In a statement, it said the athlete and team manager had responded in a timely and appropriate manner during the incident as they had notified the organisers to make a correction.

The SF&OC said it has asked the Association to probe the case with the organiser and the Asian Power Lifting Federation and submit a report.

In response, the SAR government said it strongly deplores and opposes the mistake made by the organisers, while accepting that the SF&OC and Lin had responded in accordance with the guidelines.

"The SAR government recognises the performance of the Hong Kong representatives at the scene in defending the country's dignity," it said in a statement.

The government said it attached great importance to the case. It has asked the SF&OC to submit a report as soon as possible.

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