Hong Kong, China, November 25, 2022: The Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) held a briefing for all National Sports Associations on Thursday, November 24.
The briefing was on the issue of guidelines for the playing of the national anthem and the raising of the regional flag for Hong Kong athletes and teams at international sports events.
The briefing session was conducted in a hybrid format. All 82 NSAs affiliated to the SF&OC sent a total of 350 representatives either in-person or on-line.
The Honorary Secretary General of SF&OC, Mr. Ronnie M. C. Wong, and Honorary Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Edgar J. T. Yang, briefed NSAs on the important points to note of the guidelines.
Mr. Paul Cheng Ching Wan, Acting Commissioner for Sports of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, and Ms. Eugenia Chung, Principal Assistant Secretary of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau also attended the briefing.
Ronnie Wong, who commended the high participation rate from the member NSAs, said: "The national anthem and regional flag are the symbols of our nation and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
“It is the cardinal issue of right and wrong. The formulation of the Guidelines meets public expectations. The Guidelines provide a more comprehensive, clear and easy-to-administer mechanism so that all athletes, teams, management and personnel of NSAs can follow - and react timely to - circumstances where the national anthem or regional flag is improperly used.
“This will also avoid bringing unnecessary worries and pressure to the athletes."
The guidelines follow the playing of the wrong national anthem when Hong Kong took part in an overseas rugby tournament.
