Hong Kong leaves e-Asian Cup due to 'China' exclusion in eFootball 2024.

Post by: Dr. Amrinder Pal Singh

Hong Kong Withdraws from e-Asian Cup Over Team Name Dispute

In a surprising move, Hong Kong has withdrawn from the e-Asian Cup in Qatar due to complications related to the display of the team's official name in the event's football video game. Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of China, competes independently in international sports, including the Olympics. However, the issue of how the city is identified at such events remains sensitive.

The root of the problem lies in the requirement for sports associations in Hong Kong to include "China" in their official names. The city's football association revealed that Konami's eFootball 2024, the gaming application adopted for the AFC eAsian Cup 2023, could not correctly showcase the team's name as 'Hong Kong, China'. Despite days of negotiation with the event organizers, no satisfactory solution was reached, leading to Hong Kong's decision to withdraw.

The Hong Kong football association stated that their choice to pull out was based on "the guidelines and advice" from Hong Kong’s Olympic committee. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has yet to comment on the matter.

This development occurred alongside the Asian Cup in Qatar, with the e-sports version of the tournament kicking off its group stages on Thursday. Last year, Hong Kong's sports bodies were instructed to include "China" in their official names, with the risk of losing funding for non-compliance.

Hong Kong's ability to compete separately in international sports has been a source of local pride, but tensions with Beijing have escalated, particularly after the pro-democracy protests in 2019. Sports events have been a platform for such tensions, with local football fans known to upset Beijing by booing the Chinese national anthem.

Post-2019, Hong Kong authorities implemented a ban on any insults to China's national anthem, further underscoring the complexity of the relationship between Hong Kong and China in the realm of sports.

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