The Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) takes great pride in representing Hong Kong in the international sports community and sincerely regrets the offence caused by errors made by Asia Rugby and World Rugby at recent international competitions.
 
While it was beyond our expectation that the organizers would commit such errors for the first time in 25 years competing as the Hong Kong SAR, we accept that the HKRU and its representative teams and athletes will need greater vigilance to ensure that the image of Hong Kong is properly safeguarded at overseas competitions.
 
As athletes, we are dedicated to continually improving our performance - as individuals, teams, and an organization.  We understand and acknowledge the concerns and criticisms being expressed in our community. 
 
We welcome the guidelines issued by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.  Outside of our previously expressed commitment to withdraw Hong Kong teams from competitions should similar issues occur, the HKRU will follow and incorporate these guidelines as part of a thorough and comprehensive internal review of its team protocols and procedures.
 
In this effort, we shall work closely with the Hong Kong sporting family, including the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China; Hong Kong Sports Institute; and Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, to better understand and adopt best practice moving forward.  We will attend the briefing session on 24 November.
 
We are grateful for the support we have received from inside the sporting community. We are encouraged by the willingness of sport’s governing bodies to assist in establishing a clear standard, and by the prospect that such review might identify gaps and further enhance industry-wide protocols to safeguard the reputation and sentiment of the city.
 
We will never cease in our efforts to make Hong Kong proud of our performance on and off the pitch and shall always endeavour to share the positive values of rugby: leadership, teamwork and fair play with audiences at home and abroad. We look forward to earning back the trust damaged by the errors made by the game’s regional and global governing bodies.