Hong Kong e-sports player suspended for three years for pro-democracy gaming account name
Gamer ID contains Chinese characters that references pro-democracy slogan ‘Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A professional e-sports player was reportedly suspended in Hong Kong over the “sensitive wording” in his gaming account name, local media said.
The player has been suspended by the Esports Association of Hong Kong, China, from participating in any e-sports events and competitions for a duration of three years.
The suspension was allegedly a result of his gamer ID name containing two Chinese characters that referenced the famous 2019 pro-democracy slogan, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”.
According to Hong Kong Free Press, the player was participating in an e-sports competition hosted by the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) on Sunday.
However, local reports said that the live stream of the competition on AESF’s YouTube channel was later made unavailable on Tuesday afternoon.
The player in question was identified as Lin Qilong.
A statement issued on Monday by the Esports Association of Hong Kong said that the player would be suspended from joining competitions.
“This decision was undoubtedly a severe punishment for the player; however, we believe it is a necessary measure to uphold the fairness of the entire competition and abide by the principles of sportsmanship,” the statement read.
“In international competitions, non-competitive factors and personal emotions should be excluded, and we expect every player to understand and abide by this principle,” the statement continued.
In 2019, another professional e-sports player based in Hong Kong faced a 12-month suspension for shouting “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time” during his participation in a prominent tournament for the game Hearthstone, organised by the American gaming company Blizzard.
The slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” initially was used by local activist Edward Leung and subsequently became a significant slogan during the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Later, in Hong Kong’s first national security case, this slogan was deemed capable of inciting secession and was subjected to legal ramifications.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments