Pro-Beijing teacher Nicholas Muk Ka-chun finally apologized to badminton player Angus Ng Ka-long, but it came too late as Ng lost the second match in group stage and is out of the Olympic race.
Muk, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, apologized in the middle of Ng's match for failing to weigh his words as he was too emotional to see Ng wearing a jersey without a SAR emblem to compete in the Tokyo Games.
“I was supporting the Hong Kong Badminton team in front of my television that day, and to my surprise, I saw Mr Ng, different from other Hong Kong athletes, wore a jersey without the SAR emblem, which is surprising,” Muk wrote on YouTube.
“It is a very rare occasion to see the Hong Kong team competing in the Olympic stage, and show the world our Lion Rock Spirit, therefore I was too emotional and failed to weigh my words,” he added.
Muk also thanked the Hong Kong Badminton Association for the prompt explanation and follow up to solve the problem.
In his statement, he also explained that he did not want to affect the Hong Kong Badminton team’s preparation for the match, therefore waited till today before responding to the incident, although he made the heavy criticism during Ng's first group match.
But damage might have been made, as world number nine Ng was unable to overcome Kevin Cordon from Guatemala, currently ranked 56th in the world, in the Olympics men’s single badminton event.
In a green and white Fila jersey with a Hong Kong badge on his chest, the 27-year-old Ng lost both games to the 34-year-old Cordon 20-22 and 13-21, as Ng was seen often pulling his jersey upwards throughout the match.
Cordon will be the only one in the group advancing to the round of 16, and Ng will be eliminated from this year’s Olympics after he won one and lost one match in the group stage. He is not competing in other events in the Tokyo Games.
After the match, Ng said his poor performance is completely unrelated to his new jersey, but he failed to reach even half his usual level due to problems in his mentality, while his opponent was at his top form.
“It would be a lie if I say my emotions remain unaffected, but I have tried my best to adjust my mentality and focus on the match. … During these huge competitions, I hope people can focus more on athletes’ performance, rather than things off the court,” Ng said.
As he was asked whether he wants an apology for the jersey saga, he said he wants the saga to pass and no one to mention it again.
Minutes after his post-match interview, he took to Instagram and said: “I have read all the messages from my supporters, they are heartwarming and I am touched. Someone is destined to be the main character of a tragedy. I will stand up on my feet again, but it takes time.”
His apologies once again drew fire from netizens, as they said it is a problem of his speech rather than his tone, which Muk apologized for.
"When will you apologize for your speech? As a teacher, how can you teach your students when you cannot even own up to your mistakes?” a netizen asked.
"[Ng] has waited and prepared for five years for this competition, and because of your speech, everything is ruined. How are you going to compensate for his time and effort?" one added.
“Are you satisfied now? Have you succeeded?” another netizen asked rhetorically. “You do not even know how to apologize! You have to understand that something you did cannot be undone.”
Muk’s apologies came a day after his party’s chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king asked him to apologize for “strongly condemning” Ng for wearing a plain black jersey without the SAR emblem in his first men’s single badminton match in the group stage.
Alongside other pro-Beijing critics, they are not happy that there is no Bauhinia emblem on their jersey and the shirt was black -- a color associated with the black-clad protesters during the anti-fugitive bill movement.
It turned out that Ng had to prepare his match outfit because he lost his jersey sponsor last minute and he is not allowed to print a SAR emblem on his outfit on his own, according to the Badminton Association statement and Ng’s own explanation on Facebook.
