The City of Surrey is ready to fly a flag of the Australian Olympic mascot should the IOC order it removed from the Athletes’ Village.
“We’re ready to welcome the world and we’d be honoured to recognize the Australian athletes who have come all this way to join us,” Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts said in a statement released on Friday. “I’m also going to ask mayors in other cities across the region to join us in flying the Australian team’s flag for a day and celebrate our friends from down under.”
The flag of a yellow kangaroo wearing read boxing gloves on a green backdrop covers the balcony of two suites on top of one another and has been in place since Sunday.
Word of a potential flap over the Boxing Kangaroo broke Thursday after an IOC official toured the athlete’s village.
Contrary to reports that the IOC had ordered the flag removed, Olympic officials said Friday the group will assess the situation in the coming days as the pennant “is a mark” rather than a country’s flag.
A spokesperson for the Australian Olympic Committee told media the flag would be removed only if the IOC provided a request in writing.
Other Vancouver councils are also offering to fly the flag. The Canadian athletes arrived in the Village this morning and they had photos taken in front of the Boxing Kangaroo flag.
"They were doing their own boxing poses," said Australian Olympic team spokesman Mike Tancred. "Support in the Village for the flag is overwhelming. VANOC volunteers stop us all the time saying 'please don't let them take down the flag.' "
Australian Olympic supporters appeared to have a bit of fun over the fuss as many were seen near downtown Vancouver waving signs, which read “Send Vegemite” and “Save our Roo.”
