Active Racial Discrimination in HK Men’s Rugby

In 2015 it’s disgusting that the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) have announced active racial discrimination! For many years millions of people have fought and struggled to be accepted for who they are regardless of skin colour. That in Hong Kong a multi-cultural melting pot where ability, regardless of race, has always been recognised should find one of it’s leading sporting organisations actively racially discriminating against non-ethnically Chinese rugby players is disgusting and illegal.

The recent press release from the HKRU (read the now edited entry here) states that “The modified Championship Club structure sees that league now highly focused on serving as an entry point and breeding ground for Chinese players, with all teams required to include a minimum of 14 ethnic Chinese players in each match day squad.”

UPDATE: The HKRU has deleted the above sentence from their website, and made no reference to the edit – the original can be read here, relevant sentence is at the bottom of page 1

How far stuck up their arse’s are heads of the white leaders of the Hong Kong Rugby Union? Did they not hear the furour when earlier this year the Chinese Football Association published racially insulting posters about HK’s Football Team. Did they not see HongKongers reaction to it both on social media – mass condemnation – and in real life, the booing of the Chinese National Anthem and tickets selling out so fans of all races and colours could show their support for the HK team.

How insulting is it to the HK eligible players that they’ll face selection discrimination because of their race – even though they might have been born in HK, be eligible and good enough to represent the HK National team – yet find their way blocked because they are not ethnically Chinese.

I can fully understand the desire to improve the national team, but rather than make divisions made on race, why not instead of “a minimum of 14 ethnic Chinese players in each match day squad” it’s a “a minimum of 14 HK eligible players in each match day squad”.

The Basic Law of Hong Kong specifically bans racial/ethnic discrimination. Chapter 602 The Racial Discrimination Ordinance long title starts “An Ordinance to render discrimination, harassment and vilification, on the ground of race, unlawful; … the function of eliminating such discrimination, harassment and vilification and promoting equality and harmony between people of different races…”

The ordinance further goes on to define Racial Discrimination as

1: In any circumstances relevant for the purposes of any provision of this Ordinance, a person (“the discriminator”) discriminates against another person if
(a) on the ground of the race of that other person, the discriminator treats that other person less favourably than the discriminator treats or would treat other persons; or…..

3. It is declared that, for the purposes of this Ordinance, segregating a person from other persons on the ground of the race of that person is treating that person less favourably than the other persons are treated.

Even before any match day squads are selected, the press release and decisions made by the HKRU amount to Racial Harassment under Section 7 of the ordinance.

Even China has accepted that racial discrimination is illegal, the PRC’s naturalization policy and eligibility requirements have been changed from ‘ethnically Chinese’ to this: http://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/chinese_nationality/Application_for_Naturalization_as_a_Chinese_National.html

The HK Sporting Institute makes no discrimination on the race of the Rugby Union players it gives professional contracts to!

A rugby 15’s match day squad is usually 23 players, to demand that 14 are ethnically Chinese is over 50%.

Here is the squad list Hong Kong v Japan, 2 May 2015:
1 WEI Hon Sum Leon; 2 Alex HARRIS; 3 Jack PARFITT; 4 Adam BUTTERFIELD; 5 Paul DWYER; 6 Matthew LAMMING; 7 Toby FENN; 8 Nicholas HEWSON; 9 LEE Ka To Cado; 10 Ben RIMENE; 11 Charlie HIGSON-SMITH; 12 Max WOODWARD; 13 Jamie HOOD; 14 Tom MCQUEEN; 15 Alex MCQUEEN; 16 John AIKMAN; 17 Lachlan CHUBB; 18 Jack NIELSEN; 19 Alex BADDELEY; 20 Damian BAILEY; 21 Adam ROLSTON; 22 Jonny REES; 23 Niall ROWARK; 24 Jack DELAFORCE (2 ethnically Chinese players)

Here is the Hong Kong squad for the recent Qingdao 7s:
Max WOODWARD (captain); Nick HEWSON; Jamie HOOD; Rowan VARTY; YIU Kam Shing; Benjamin RIMENE; Alex MCQUEEN; Cado LEE Ka To; Christopher MAIZE; Tomasi LAWA; Calvin HUNTER; Michael COVERDALE. (2 ethnically Chinese players).

Which of these non-ethnically Chinese players who are selected as good enough to represent their country will be dropped to satisfy the racial quota demands of the HKRU?

RACIAL DISCRIMINSTION IS DISGUSTING AND ILLEGAL!

Change the squad requirements to “14 players eligible to represent Hong Kong”

bc magazine has asked the HKRU, World Rugby, Asia Rugby and HSBC, the national team sponsor, for comment on this active racial discrimination.