Hong Kong, China, March 3, 2023: The Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) is highly concerned about the playing of the incorrect national anthem before a game against Iran at the Ice Hockey World Championships in Bosnia on February 28.
SF&OC has been fact-checking with the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association (HKIHA) and has requested HKIHA and the International Ice Hockey Federation to investigate the matter and submit a written report on or before March 10, 2023.
“SF&OC understands that HKIHA did not collect a toolkit from SF&OC before their departure for participating in the competition, as stipulated in Clause 2 of the Guidelines on Handling the Playing of the National Anthem and Raising of the Regional Flag for Hong Kong Athletes and Teams Engaging in International Sports Events,” the SF&OC said in a press statement dated March 3.
“SF&OC has requested HKIHA to thoroughly investigate the case and provide explanations on not taking other actions as required in the relevant Guidelines.
“SF&OC has issued a number of circulars to all member sports associations since November 2022, in addition to a briefing session, requesting them to strictly abide by Clauses 3 to 6 of the Guidelines, including to provide the event organiser the correct national anthem and regional flag, and to check on site with the event organiser to ensure that the correct version will be used.
“SF&OC has also written to international sports organisations, including International Federations and Asian Federations, requesting them to take a stern attitude in using the correct version of the national anthem and regional flag provided by Hong Kong, China teams/representatives and, in any case, should not download the national anthem from unofficial sources.”