Weightlifting chief who twice referred Hong Kong as a country resigns

Hong Kong Weightlifting and Powerlifting Association chairwoman Josephine Ip Wing-yuk has quit as president of the sports body amid controversies of her mistakenly referring to Hong Kong as a country.

The Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), said in a statement on Friday that Ip had resigned with immediate effect.

“The SF&OC respects the decision of the association and Dr Ip, and will continue to work hand in hand with all National Sports Associations to jointly promote the development of various sports.” The statement read.

Ip has been at the center of controversy after she "inadvertently" referred to Hong Kong and Taiwan as countries, saying she was not trying to promote independence.

The gaffe happened when Ip delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the Asian Equipped Powerlifting Championship cum Asian University Cup 2024 on May 6 at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai.

"This time, we have lifters and officials from 13 countries ..." Ip said, without naming them.

Hong Kong and Taiwan athletes took part in the competition, which ended on Saturday.

The association later apologized for the miscue, explaining that Ip had originally wrote in her speech that "there are lifters and officials from 16 countries/regions" participating in the competition."

However, only athletes from 13 countries and two regions turned up, the association said.

This is not the first time Ip's remarks raised eyebrows. She called Hong Kong "a small country" in another event in March. The association said it was "a slip of the tongue."

The government previously said Ip's explanation was "absolutely unacceptable" and "grossly inconsistent" with the fact that delegations from Hong Kong and Taiwan participated as regional teams.

"It gives rise to suspected violation of the one-China principle," the government said.

It added that it attaches great importance to the series of mistakes in various gravity made by the association.