‘Ice hockey development should be spared penalty’

The vice-captain of the Hong Kong men’s ice hockey team said on Wednesday that the possible suspension of the sport’s governing body could put their chances of being able to compete internationally at risk.

But Alvin Sham said he hoped any punishment over an anthem blunder at a tournament in Bosnia in February will not affect the future development of the sport in the SAR.

The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SF&OC) said on Tuesday that it had initiated suspension proceedings against the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association (HKIHA) over an incident in which organisers in Bosnia played a song linked to the 2019 protests instead of the March of the Volunteers.

They said the suspension would go ahead if the ice hockey body failed to provide a full explanation within a month of why it failed to follow guidelines on the playing of the anthem and to put forward proposals to enhance governance.

The SAR government, for its part, said it will consider reducing subsidies if the suspension goes ahead, but added that any funding cuts will be made under the premise of not affecting athletes.

Sham told RTHK that funding cuts could mean fewer opportunities to train and compete, while making the sport even more unaffordable for some families.

“[Cutting the funding] might mean many kids in Hong Kong would not be able to play this sport, because it is so expensive,” he said.

He also said it was disappointing that the discussion around the Sarajevo tournament was only about the anthem blunder, with little attention to the fact that the team went on to earn the bronze medal.

Sham said all 20 team members work other jobs besides playing ice hockey, and that they will continue to press on even without subsidies in the future.

“We are very passionate about this sport, and that’s why we play. With or without [funding], we still love the sport and we will continue to play. We will have to see how things play out,” he said.

Separately, HKIHA president Mike Kan said in a statement on Tuesday night that the blunder happened after organisers struggled to use a hyperlink provided by the federation to get a copy of the national anthem.

But he added that the group would work with authorities in providing a comprehensive written explanation and a proposal on improving its governance.