Tag: rugby
Defamation and Lies from HK Rugby about Ethnic Quotas Rule
On the 25 September the Chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU), Pieter Schats sent a letter to the world rugby community – you can read the letter here. Rather than admit they screwed up by imposing ethnic quotas in local rugby (read the unedited announcement here) the HKRU and Mr Schats decided to lie, and also to libel bc magazine. Here is the text of bc’s reply breaking down Mr Schat’s letter.
With regards to the letter sent by the Chairman of the HKRU Pieter Schats on the 25 September, 2015 to World Rugby, Asia Rugby, Hong Kong Rugby Union Past Chairmen and Vice Presidents, Board of Directors, Hong Kong Rugby Club Chairmen and the Hong Kong Rugby and Sporting Community and published on the HKRU’s website www.hkrugby.com
bc magazine finds the letter defamatory, libelous and factually inaccurate.
There is nothing ‘alleged’ about the HKRU’s desire to introduce racial quotas into rugby in Hong Kong – it was clearly stated in the HKRU’s news release that was published on the HKRU’s website 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.”
Mr Schats also confirms that the rule existed by admitting later in his letter that the rule has been amended to read “a minimum of 14 players in a match day squad of 22 who are Hong Kong permanent residents”.
The existence of a rule regarding ethnic quotas for match day squads is also confirmed in an email (see below) received by bc magazine from Aaron Bleasdale, Chairman, University Rugby Football Club.
Mr Schats then goes on to further disparage bc magazine’s reputation by saying “The article turns a positive development idea considered by HKRU”
The idea was not considered – ethnic quotas were implemented and published as a rule.
And he continues to further besmirch bc magazine by claiming that “a story that fails to capture the spirit and intent of our proposal”
bc’s article fully and accurately reflects the intention of the HKRU to implement quotas in match day squads soley based on skin colour (ethnicity).
bc magazine’s article also stated that ‘ethnic quotas’ were illegal in Hong Kong – something that Mr Schats confirmed later in his letter.
Mr Schats further uses his letter to disparage bc magazine in an attempt to deflect attention away from HKRU’s active implementation of racial discrimination – which would have taken place, without bc magazine’s article – by starting his letter “my apologies for having to send this note”.
The only reason the article exists is because of the intentions of the HKRU to implement ‘ethnic quotas’, and the only reason he (Mr Schats) has to write and apologise is because the HKRU chose to implement racial segregation.
Mr Schats then further tries to ‘blame’ bc magazine for his letter by claiming to be “deeply saddened by this and would like to clarify this issue” – but he isn’t seeking to clarify the issue, having already lied in the previous sentence by using the word “alleged” for something that he knows is true. He is looking to blame and defame bc magazine to save the HKRU’s reputation amongst the global rugby community and the big money sponsors that support the HKRU and the HK7s.
I as writer of the article and publisher of bc magazine will not have the HKRU and Mr Schats libel, defame and smear bc magazine and myself by factually misrepresenting and outright lying in his letter to World Rugby and Asia Rugby about HKRU’s incorporation of ethnic quotas for match day squads into the rules of HK Rugby for 2015/16.
The ‘ethnic quota’ rule would still there if bc hadn’t exposed the rule as being illegal and racial discrimination.
There is no place in sport for RACISM
Racist Rule Removed by HK Rugby
A smidgen of common sense – amidst pressure from World Ruby, Asia Rugby and the fact that racial discrimination is illegal in HK – has begrudgingly seen the HK Rugby Union remove the ‘ethnic quota’ rule from it’s 2015/16 rule book.
Let’s hope that ‘we know best’ attitude of the Union doesn’t see it become an ‘unwritten rule.
A letter from HKRU Chairman Pieter Schats announced the change while claiming the ‘ethnic quota’ rule was introduced for the ‘good’ of the game. Two other club chairman David Knights of SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football club and Aaron Bleasdale of University Rugby Football Club – read their opinions below – have emailed bc claiming the same, that racial profiling is good for the local game. If that’s the case then there’s something seriously wrong with men’s rugby in HK!
There is and never will be any time when a person’s skin colour should limit their participation in sport or any other aspect of life. Kick racism out of sport!
Emails received by bc magazine in response to the article Active Racial Discrimination in HK Men’s Rugby dated 24 September, 2015
Email from SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football Club
Dear BC magazine,
I just read your article on the above subject and am appalled by the misguided, misinformed and inaccurate nature of the report which amounts to nothing more than a pathetic piece of sensationalism.
If your reporter had bothered to check the facts with anyone involved in the sport in Hong Kong they would have quickly realised that far from this being any form of racial discrimination it was in fact an attempt to foster the widest possible participation in the sport by players of all races,ages and abilities which is central to the strategic aims of the Hong Kong Rugby Union.
There is no barrier to participation in rugby in Hong Kong, players of any race can aspire to play at the elite level of the sport or simply enjoy a game with their (multinational) mates on a Saturday afternoon.
As Chairman of one of the largest rugby clubs in Hong Kong and also quite possibly the one with the most racially diverse playing membership of any club I think I know what I am talking about.
Rugby is making a huge effort to get Hong Kong kids of all races and backgrounds away from their X-boxes and into something more healthy. Why don’t you write about that, particularly during the Rugby World Cup rather than the ill conceived garbage contained in your article.
Yours sincerely
David Knights
Chairman, SCAA Causeway Bay Rugby Football Club
Email from University Rugby Football Club
Dear bc
Your accusation of “racism” by the HKRFU against non-Chinese players is based on a misunderstanding of the structure of Hong Kong’s domestic rugby leagues.
The men’s “Championship” division for which this ethnicity requirement would be implemented is a solitary division of play operating alongside the five graded “National” league divisions (NL1 – NL5). Players from both the Championship and National divisions are free to progress up to the Premiership, which is the primary feeder league for the Hong Kong National Team. An ethnicity requirement in the Championship division alone would not create a so-called “selection discrimination” against non-Chinese players because they would still be free to progress up through the National and Premiership leagues.
You should also consider the very good reason for which the Championship division’s ethnicity requirement has been implemented – to create a division that best fosters the development of local Chinese rugby talent. The HKRFU is extraordinarily committed to this goal, and should be applauded for their attempts to achieve it.
Further, to refer to the people driving the HKRFU as “white leaders” is, in addition to being insulting to the many non-caucasians that run the HKRFU, totally nonsensical in the context of an article complaining about racism against non-Chinese players, many of whom themselves are caucasian. A curious form of racism indeed!
Next time, check your facts before throwing around accusations and polarizing language.
Kind regards,
Aaron Bleasdale, Chairman, University Rugby Football Club
Image – please note the letter from Pieter Schats was two pages long – bc magazine combined the pages to create a single image for ease of reading the original is here.
Rugby Union Domestic League Structure Changed to Support National Team
The Hong Kong Rugby Union has announced the schedule for the upcoming HKRU Domestic League. While similar on the surface to last season’s competition, the 2015/16 season ushers in some profound and long-term changes in the structure of local rugby.
Primary amongst these changes is the decision made jointly by the HKRU and its member clubs to ring-fence the Men’s Premiership around the six existing Premiership clubs at both Premiership and Premiership A levels for the coming three seasons.
Valley RFC, HKCC, Hong Kong Football Club, Hong Kong Scottish, Kowloon and USRC Tigers retain their Premiership spots for the coming season and will maintain this status for three years.
Dai Rees, General Manager, Rugby Performance at the HKRU, commented on the changes saying, “The objective is to ensure a stable competition that is structured around two performance leagues, Premiership and Premiership A, and supported by a development and community league structure that will ultimately contribute to the national team and high performance rugby in Hong Kong.
“These changes are a culmination of months of consultation with local clubs to secure their buy-in. As a result the final structure places significant emphasis on establishing clear playing levels, with Hong Kong’s elite level rugby ring-fenced around the clubs participating in the Premiership and Premiership A leagues,” Rees said.
The Premiership and Premiership A leagues will now mirror each other with club fixtures played at the same location each week. The new structure will allow the Premiership teams in these leagues to support each other on any given league weekend and maximize the development of their performance players.
Below Premiership A level, National League 1 will become a feeder system and development structure grooming potential high performance players who aspire to play Premiership rugby.
National League 1 will feature nine teams, headlined by Tin Shui Wai Pandas, who voluntarily relinquished their Premiership A spot to support the wider objectives of Hong Kong Rugby.
Discovery Bay Pirates, SCAA Causeway Bay, Gai Wu, University Wizards, Valley Mavericks, PLA and two Hong Kong Football Club sides round out the National League 1 competition this season.
The Championship Club league has also been revamped for 2015/16 with nine clubs: City RFC, Discipline Services XV, East Kowloon, Gai Wu Crusaders, Kowloon Barbarians, Revolution, Tai Po Dragons, Tin Shui Wai 2nd XV, and USRC Tigers Development taking part.
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.
Following the amendments to the structure, the National and Championship Club leagues are now clearly identified as development competitions entering the season, with the aim to establish partnerships and mutually sustainable links with Premiership teams and to provide a clear and direct player pathway through to performance level rugby in Hong Kong.
National League and Championship Clubs sides will work closely with the HKRU to identify potential performance players. A new dual registration system will allow Premiership clubs to register and develop these players with nominated players allowed to play at both levels in a given season while officially remaining with their mother club.
Already there are signs of progress with U20s stand-out Eric Kwok Pak Nga, who developed his game at City RFC, now seconded to USRC Tigers in a move that has greatly hastened his development. Kwok was named the 2014/15 HKRU Development Player of the Year and is currently in the elite rugby sevens athlete programme at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, having represented Hong Kong in the Junior World Rugby Trophy and as vice captain for the men’s U20s sevens team which defended its Asian sevens title in August.
HKRU league competition rules continue to emphasise the selection and development of local talent with the Premiership rules requiring 12 of the 22 or 23 players selected (depending on the team’s front row configuration) for a league fixture to be eligible to represent Hong Kong.
The HKRU will continue to work in partnership with its member clubs to identify future strategic directions after the coming three seasons as it continues to refine and strengthen its development structures.
Complimenting the league’s move towards enhancing the stability of domestic Rugby and further preparing Hong Kong players for international competition, the HKRU will be announcing several other transformative development initiatives in the coming weeks.
Super Saturday marks 2015/16 Season Start
The Premiership will be played over 15 rounds with break for the Asia Rugby Sevens Olympic Qualifiers on 7-8 November at the Hong Kong Stadium and for the Cup of Nations (13-21 Nov) at Hong Kong Football Club when Hong Kong will face off with Russia, Portugal and Zimbabwe.
The 2015/16 HKRU season will kick off with a Super Saturday on 3 October, gathering all six Premiership and Premiership A teams for a triple trio of rugby excitement at King’s Park. Admission is free.
Towards the business end of the season, a quarterfinals competition will be held with the top two teams entering the quarterfinals (27 February) receiving a first round bye. The semifinals will be held on 5 March with the Grand Final on 12 March.
Cup Final Video as Hong Kong beat China to Win the China Sevens
Watch the Cup Final as Hong Kong beat China to win the China Sevens. The Asia Rugby youtube channel has videos of all the matches at the recent tournament. The semi-final victory over Japan is if anything the more impressive match result.
A fantastic result, congratulations ladies!!!
Hong Kong Win the Women’s Seven Series – China Sevens
Hong Kong Win the Women’s Seven Series 26-15 over China
It’s the first ever Cup win for the Hong Kong women in the Asia Seven Series
Absolutely brilliant rugby from Hong Kong including a hat-trick from Aggie Poon in the final
Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series – China Sevens
Hong Kong’s women 7s team convincingly won all three of its pool games at the Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Series – China Sevens being held in Qingdao over the weekend of the 5-6 September, 2015.
Aggie Poon scored 7 tries in the opening two games against Singapore and Sri Lanka as Hong Kong ran out convincing winners in both games.
In the final game of the day against pool top seed China, Hong Kong triumphed 19-12 in a hard fought game.
Stephanie Cuvelier picked up a brace of tries as returned to the Hong Kong team after a 2 year injury break
Saturday Pool Results
Hong Kong 53 – 0 Singapore
Hong Kong
Try: Aggie Pak Yan Poon (4), Stephanie Cuvelier (2), Amelie Odile Marie Seure, Ka Yan Chong, Natasha Olson-Thorne
Conversion: Aggie Poon (2), Colleen Tjosvold, Amelie Odile Marie Seure
Hong Kong 27 – 5 Sri Lanka
Hong Kong
Try: Aggie Pak Yan Poon (3), Natasha Olson-Thorne, Wai Sum Sham
Conversion: Aggie Pak Yan Poon
Sri Lanka
Try: Madduma Muthugalage Ayesha Sewwandi Perera
Hong Kong 19 – 12 China
Try: Natasha Olson-Thorne, Colleen Tjosvold, Tsz Ting Cheng
Conversion: Aggie Pak Yan Poon (2)
Images courtesy HKRFU
Olympic Sevens Qualifying
The Hong Kong Sevens are the best global sporting social event around, in a world before the Internet and instant global communication the HK Sevens were known across the globe even by non-rugby players like myself. For my first tickets I queued overnight in a freezing Victoria Park and stayed three months in a city I’d planned to visit for a few days. That three months, turned into a lifetime and I’m now proudly a Hongkong and this wonderful city is my home. That first Sevens an ecstatic happy memory, the 21 that have followed, some of the best days of each year even though it’s hard work.
I love the Sevens and appreciate that they’re HK Rugby Football Union’s golden goose the multi-million annual tournament that stuffs the Union’s bank account to over-flowing. The competition that even now in the era of professional rugby, players dream of attending or playing at above almost any other. That ‘other’ was once perhaps singular, the Rugby World Cup, from 2016 the ‘other’ is a duo as the Olympics embraces Rugby 7s for the first time.
It’d be tough to say which is the biggest and best known sporting tournament in the world, the Olympics or the Football World Cup. The Olympics probably just shade it. The roar at the HK Stadium when Hong Kong won the shield in 2010 for their first trophy in a decade was amazing. But Lee Lai Shan wining gold at the Olympics was monumental as was Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak’s silver in 2004. Watching Sarah Lee win a bronze medal live at the London Olympics 2012 had me screaming at the computer monitor and walking around so proud and happy of a HongKonger’s achievement on the biggest of biggest sporting stages.
The Olympics, for all their faults, are when the world focuses on sport almost exclusively for a couple of weeks. Hong Kong’s men’s and women’s rugby 7s teams, both have a chance to be among the twelve countries who qualify to compete at Rio2016. The Olympics only happen every four years so qualifying is a hard and rare opportunity, and the fame of the HKSevens has given Hong Kong home advantage for both tournaments.
Really, you didn’t know – I’m not surprised. Tickets for the November 7-8 Qualification Tournament went on sale last week. Yet there’s no mention of this on the website of the HKRFU. Nothing on it’s facebook page, not even a tweet (account suspended). There’s been no press release about tickets going onsale. No details of how many tickets are available locally to the general public (are the Union worried that having 38,000 tickets for sale will reveal how much they are screwing the public allocation at the 7s – come on the public are not stupid, they know they get screwed every March on tickets). Nothing, nada! A black hole of promotion, advertising and awareness.
It is quite frankly a disgrace, Hong Kong might not win the gold medal at Rio2016 but qualifying would be a fantastic achievement. The roar of packed HK Stadium might be the eighth man that pushes Hong Kong across the qualification try-line against our two toughest regional rivals Japan and China. So why does the HKRFU ignore this wonderful opportunity? Are they incompetent? Jealous that the Olympics will injure their annual golden goose? Or is Olympic rugby, like women’s rugby a part of the game to be suffered by the male dinosaurs who run the local game because they’re not feted and fawned upon, their ego’s stroked, as they are by all those $uper rich corporate$ desperate for access to the holy grail of sevens tickets!
Sort it out! The players and fans deserve better!
