Chinese fans furious over ITTF's repeated errors on national flag in merchandise
L'essentiel
Chinese table tennis fans are outraged after official ITTF merchandise for the World Team Championships twice featured incorrect versions of China's national flag, sparking widespread social media complaints and calls for respect.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
Official merchandise for the World Team Table Tennis Championships, celebrating Chinese victories, initially featured a flag with six stars instead of the correct five. After fans pointed out the error, the ITTF updated the image, but the revised version still contained mistakes with the yellow stars' positions.
Furious Chinese fans have blasted the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) after official merchandise for the World Team Table Tennis Championships twice got the nation’s flag wrong.
Posters, T-shirts and hoodies, priced between £35 (HK$350) and £67, all celebrating the victories for the country’s men and women, initially featured a flag with six stars, not five as it should have done.
Fans first spotted the error on Friday, and flooded social media with complaints directed at the ITTF and Table Tennis England. One widely shared Weibo post drew more than 10,000 comments.
“Even something like this can happen – what is the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) doing?” one fan wrote. “If you want to make money from us, learn to show some respect first.”
“Which country has a six-star red flag?” another asked.
Hours later, the ITTF updated the image without commenting publicly. However, while the number of stars was reduced from six to five, the revised version still showed the yellow stars in the wrong position, further angering fans.
Questions ouvertes
- What was the ITTF's official response to the repeated errors?
- What internal processes led to these repeated mistakes in flag design?
- Will there be any disciplinary action or review of the ITTF's design and approval process?
- What is the CTTA's official stance or action regarding the incident?
