Drink, But Don't Eat at Rugby Sevens

Rugby Sevens 2022 will be a lot different than pre-pandemic

Two weeks ago at a talk at the Foreign Correspondents' Club about the future of Covid-19, University of Hong Kong epidemiologist Ben Cowling was asked if he thought the government's proposal to hold the Rugby Sevens tournament in November would go ahead.

He felt that with time ticking and no comprehensive plan in place as to how the event would be run and take social-distancing precautions and quarantines into account, it would probably not happen.

Cowling (left) thought rugby would not go ahead

It seemed all bets were off.

But suddenly the government announced a few days ago that the popular Rugby Sevens would go ahead -- mostly for the expat crowd. Players would be in a closed loop in terms of staying in one quarantine hotel, but... what about the people in the stands at Hong Kong Stadium?

The authorities have now come up with a plan which is: people can drink in the stands, but they can't eat.

Have government officials even attended a Rugby Sevens event before? I never did but I know that it entails people dressing up in silly costumes, hanging out there all day in the hot sun, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and eating crap fast food.

However, the Commissioner for Sport Yeung Tak-keung told RTHK that drinking is allowed, but not eating, only in so-called "eating outlets", without elaborating further.

"For eating, you need to take off your mask, and we want to reduce and minimise the mask-off activities at the spectator stands," Yeung said.

So people can drink, but not eat, says government

"We want them spectators to observe the rules themselves, and also, the Rugby Union will send people around to remind people to put their masks back on after drinking."

Tell drunk people to put their masks back on? 

Good luck with that.

The feedback on Twitter was amusing, ranging from how clueless the government is, to how it seems to want to encourage rugby fans at the event to be 10 times drunker without food in their stomachs. 

Maybe the government wants to rethink its Rugby Sevens arrangement? It's still not too late to cancel for the sake of "dynamic Covid-zero"!

HK's Press Freedom Plunges Further

Hong Kong's press freedom has fallen to No. 148 this year

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day and it is sad and shocking to see Hong Kong plunge further down the Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index.

Alviani says HK has biggest drop of the year

In 2002 Hong Kong was ranked No. 18, when the index was first published.

Last year the city fell to No. 80.

This year it's ranked No. 148, in between the Philippines and Turkey. China is ranked at 175 out of 180.

"It is the biggest downfall of the year, but it is fully deserved due to the consistent attacks on freedom of the press and the slow disappearance of the rule of law in Hong Kong," said Cedric Alviani, head of RSF's Taiwan-based East Asia bureau.

"In the past year we have seen a drastic, drastic move against journalists," he added.

Lai in jail for numerous convictions and charges

The implementation of the national security law not only led to the arrests of pro-democracy lawmakers and activists, but also in the past two years against journalists as well.

Last year Apple Daily and Stand News, two popular outlets that were critical of the government, shut down after newsroom editors and executives were arrested and company assets were frozen by the security law.

RSF's database now lists 13 Hong Kong media workers in jail, a number Alviani described as "enormous", and equivalent to almost 10 percent of all known journalist detentions in China. 

In addition last week there was huge uproar when the Foreign Correspondents' Club announced it would "suspend" handing out Asia's prestigious Human Rights Awards, citing constantly changing "red lines" due to the national security law.

RTHK gutted into government spokes piece

While there is relief the Human Rights Awards will be awarded from next year at Arizona State University, the fact that it has moved not only tarnishes the FCC's reputation for lacking courage in this difficult time made the club look like a coward.

Several journalists on the Press Freedom judging panel quit the club as an act of protest. 

And while there are still international media outlets in Hong Kong, such as AFP, Bloomberg, CNN, the Economist and the Financial Times, how much longer can they stay in the city?

No media can do without correspondents in Hong Kong. But do the media need to have their regional headquarters in Hong Kong?" asked Alviani.

"Is it safe to leave your computer archive, to leave your server, to leave your management team in Hong Kong? In the current situation, maybe not."

RSF says 13 media workers jailed, like Stand News

Who would have thought in 25 years since the handover, but in particular in the last two years the media landscape would have changed so drastically in Hong Kong?

But here we are, sitting at No. 148, falling closer to its Motherland...