Cheung Ka-long’s historic win at the Paris Olympics leads to social media insults and a culinary debate over pineapple pizza. Learn more about the heated exchange and the controversy surrounding the fencing match.
Paris, Bollywoodfever: Hong Kong fencer Cheung Ka-long’s victory over Italy’s Filippo Macchi at the Paris Olympics has ignited a social media firestorm, with Cheung’s supporters celebrating his win with posts about pineapple pizzas—widely considered a culinary blunder in Italian cooking.
Cheung made Hong Kong history on Tuesday by defeating Macchi 15-14 in the men’s foil. This triumph made Cheung, who had previously won at the Tokyo Games in 2021, the first Hong Konger to secure two gold medals.
The bout required three stoppages for video reviews to determine the decisive point, as the fencing machine registered scores from both fencers simultaneously. The final point was eventually awarded to Cheung, leading to protests from the Italian side.
The Italian Fencing Federation announced it would file a complaint with the International Olympic Committee and the International Fencing Federation, calling the refereeing “unacceptable.” Italian Fencing Federation President Paolo Azzi stated, “Never seen anything like this. Filippo Macchi is the real winner and he was denied a gold he deserved.”
Italy’s Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malagò criticized the selection of referees, suggesting bias as “the two judges were from Taipei and Korea in a final between Italy and Hong Kong.”
Supporters of Macchi expressed their grievances on Cheung’s Instagram account, with one comment alleging that Cheung’s championship was “robbed” and that Macchi should have been the final winner.
In a mockery response, Hong Kongers defended Cheung by posting comments about their love for pineapple pizza and celebrating the win with the controversial topping. Pizza Hut in Hong Kong and neighboring Macao offered free pineapple toppings on any pizzas on Tuesday and Wednesday to celebrate the victory.
Despite the heated exchanges, Macchi earned respect from some Hong Kongers after posting on Instagram that he knows both referees and did not blame them for his loss, emphasizing the need to respect their decisions.
Cheung’s win also marked the first time Hong Kong secured two gold medals in the same Olympics. Vivian Kong Man Wai previously won the individual epee, bringing further pride to the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
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