Insults have been hurled online after Hong Kong's controversial victory over Italy in the Olympic men's foil final at the Paris Olympics.
Hong Kong’s Cheung Ka-long secured a 15-14 win over Italy’s Filippo Macchi in the men’s individual foil yesterday.
The matched ended in controversy, with the final point needing three replays before Cheung won.
Cheung's Instagram page was flooded with comments claiming Machi had been "robbed" and the result "stolen", Reuters reported.
People from Hong Kong leapt to their athlete's defence, writing about "loving pineapple pizza" and "pasta with soy sauce".
Pizza Hut in Hong Kong also appeared to get in on the act, an ad showing pizza covered in pineapple and offering the controversial ingredient as a free topping.
Macchi's coach Stefano Cerioni told Italian media that Macchi was the "moral winner" and its Olympic committee made a formal protest over the final point.
Macchi himself, however, said the referee's decisions must be respected – a comment praised by those in Hong Kong.
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