The Malaysian flag prepared for use at the medal presentation ceremony for wushu gold medallist Loh Choon How had to be changed at the last minute after the Malaysian contingent spotted a printing error on it.

Staffers of the Philippine SEA Games Organising Committee (PHISGOC) at the World Trade Centre in Manila acted on the complaint of Malaysia’s chef de mission Megat Zulkarnain Omardin and got a replacement flag, delaying the ceremony by 20 minutes.

Megat Zulkarnain expressed his regret over the incident, saying the Malaysian secretariat had confirmed in writing in advance with the organisers regarding the characteristics of the Jalur Gemilang.

"We sent a stern warning to the secretariat to change. I believe if this is the case, they might be using the same supplier for all venues.

“So, we have asked them to resolve this matter today because I was told there are several other events where we have won medals. We do not want the same flag (with error) to be used,” he told reporters here.

The original flag prepared by the organisers had the white stripe at the top when it should be red.

Meanwhile, Megat Zulkarnain described Loh’s success in delivering Malaysia’s first gold as a good start in the contingent’s quest for 70 gold medals.

"Although this time they were not very confident and did not target gold, I would like to thank and congratulate Loh and his friends for never letting us down.

“We did not include wushu in our gold medal target and this is a bonus. I believe they can also shine in other events. We have started the SEA Games on the right footing,” he added.

- Bernama