The Rio Olympics organizing committee has apologized for the slightly inaccurate Chinese flag that has been used at several medal ceremonies and has pledged to correct the mistake, according to the Chinese Consulate-General in Rio on Aug. 8. Already, the botched flag has been a source of public disappointment among Chinese netizens and viewers.

Netizens began to complain about the flags over the weekend, astutely pointing out that the flags flying at Olympic venues featured the four smaller stars of the Chinese flag laid out in a parallel pattern. Instead, the stars should be rotated so that each one points toward the center of the flag's one large star.

Under instruction from the Chinese ambassador to Brazil, the Chinese Consul General in Rio, Song Yang, contacted the organizing committee of the Rio Olympic Games and demanded that the mistake be rectified immediately, the consulate said on its official Weibo early on Aug. 8.

“[The director] said the organizing committee of the Rio Olympic Games expresses their apologies. The committee commissioned a third-party company (not a Chinese company) to produce all national flags. It will contact the company immediately to correct its mistake,” the Weibo post noted.

All national flags used at the Rio Olympic Games received approval from the organizing committees of each respective country, the Rio Olympics organizing committee told People’s Daily in an exclusive interview, adding that the committee will work together with the Chinese delegation to come up with a satisfactory solution.