Hong Kong responds to the Italian demonstration against fencer Cheung’s victory by posting images of pineapple pizza.
The Press Association
Hong Kong (AP) — Following Hong Kong fencer Cheung Ka-long’s victory over Italy’s Filippo Macchi at the Paris Olympics, Cheung’s admirers celebrated with posts about pineapple pizzas, which are generally regarded as a culinary faux pas in Italian cooking. This led to an insulting debate on social media.
In the men’s foil, Cheung defeated Macchi 15–14 on Tuesday, creating history for Hong Kong. With that victory, Cheung—who had already won at the 2021 Tokyo Games—became the first person from Hong Kong to win two gold medals.
The fencing machine registered both fencers’ scores at almost the same time, necessitating three stoppages for video reviews to determine the decisive point. The Italian side objected when Cheung was eventually given the winning point.
In a statement, the Italian Fencing Federation indicated that it would complain about “unacceptable” refereeing to both the International Fencing Federation and the International Olympic Committee.
Never saw anything comparable to this. Paolo Azzi, President of the Italian Fencing Federation, declared that Filippo Macchi is the true victor and that he was not given the gold medal he earned.
Giovanni Malagò, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, expressed concerns about the referee selection process, stating that “the two judges were from Taipei and Korea in a final between Italy and Hong Kong.”
Additionally, Cheung’s Instagram account received complaints from Macchi’s followers in the form of comments. A comment claimed that Macchi ought to be the ultimate winner and that Cheung’s victory was “robbed.”
Hong Kongers mockingly responded on Instagram, defending Cheung with remarks about how much they loved pineapple pizza and how they would be eating a lot of it to celebrate their victory.
In celebration of the win, Pizza Hut locations in Macao, a nearby gambling hub, and Hong Kong gave away free pineapple toppings on any pizza ordered during business hours on Tuesday and Wednesday.
However, Macchi eventually gained the admiration of several Hong Kong residents after he wrote on Instagram that he knew both referees and that he didn’t want to blame them for his defeat. He continued, saying that their choices must be accepted.
With Cheung’s victory, Hong Kong won two gold medals in the same Olympics for the first time. The semi-autonomous Chinese city’s solo epee champion, Vivian Kong Man Wai, won last weekend. ___
Olympic Games in Summer: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-Paris
Leung, Kanis, Associated Press