Hong Kong's weightlifting and powerlifting association chairwoman makes a mistake during a public event on March 24, 2024. Photo: HK01.com

Josephine Ip Wing-yu, chairwoman of Hong Kong's Weightlifting and Powerlifting Association who twice referred to Hong Kong as a "country," has resigned for personal reasons, local media reported on Friday.

The Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC), confirmed Ip's resignation in an email sent to the Global Times on Friday.

The SF&OC said it had received notification from the association that Ip has resigned from her position as chairwoman of the association, effective immediately. The SF&OC respects the decision of the association and Ip and will continue to collaborate with various sports associations to jointly lead the development of various sports disciplines.

In early May, at the opening ceremony of the Asian Equipped Powerlifting Championship and the Asian University Cup, Ip mentioned that the event, which featured competitors from the HKSAR and Chinese Taipei, had "lifters and officials from 13 countries." 

The association later deeply apologized to society and the public for the misunderstandings caused by the opening speech.

The HKSAR government also pointed out that the statement was grossly inconsistent with the fact that delegations from Hong Kong, China and Chinese Taipei participated as regional teams and represented a suspected violation of the one-China principle.

In March, Ip described Hong Kong, in Cantonese, as a "relatively small country" when addressing the development of weightlifting and powerlifting sports during an open event. She also categorized the city as "small countries" like Australia. The association later issued an apology statement.

After learning lessons from the incident, the association should be well aware of the contents of public speech delivered to avoid misunderstanding and embarrassment, Chu Kar-kin, a veteran current affairs commentator and deputy secretary-general of the Hong Kong Association for Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, told the Global Times on Friday.

"The script should be properly counter-checked to ensure only the appropriate message is conveyed. Other sports associations should also build up a sense of nation identity and value," Chu said.

Ip, 62 years old, completed her orthopedic specialty training in 1993 and became the first female orthopedic specialist in Hong Kong.

She is currently serving as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at School of Clinical Medicine of LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong.

In addition to her medical profession, Ip also holds the category 1 Referee of the International Powerlifting Federation and the Referee of the International Weightlifting Federation. She has also participated in competitions organized by the Hong Kong Weightlifting and Powerlifting Association, according to the association's website.