Hong Kong’s team was introduced with the song “Glory to Hong Kong” – “Glory to Hong Kong” – with tribute lyrics to freedom and democracy. The song has become synonymous with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which questions Beijing’s increased influence over the region.
The song had mistakenly replaced China’s national anthem.
The Hong Kong regional government expressed displeasure with the song choice in very strong terms. “The tournament’s organizers are responsible for ensuring that the national anthem receives the respect it requires”.
South Korea’s rugby union sent a formal apology to both Hong Kong and Beijing on Monday, explaining the mistake was that China also has a team in the tournament – and that it accidentally downloaded the wrong song from the internet.
The mistake, which was documented on film, went viral on social media in Hong Kong in particular.