Story highlights An incorrect Chinese flag has been raised during medal ceremonies in Rio

Both flags look similar but their stars are aligned differently

Rio de Janeiro (CNN) Olympics officials in Rio have apologized after discovering they were raising an incorrect Chinese national flag during medal ceremonies.

Both Chinese flags are red and feature a large yellow star flanked by four smaller stars. But there are subtle differences in how the smaller stars are aligned.

"We do understand that there is a problem with the flag," said Mario Andrada, Rio 2016 Olympic Games executive communications director, on Monday. "It's very small. You have to be very familiar with the Chinese flag to understand that. However, we need to correct it."

Viewers in China spotted the mistake and took to Sina Weibo -- a Chinese social media site -- to complain, according to China News Service (CNS), the state-run news agency.

Although minor, the mistake bothered people in China. State-run newspaper People's Daily said , "the botched flag has been a source of public disappointment among Chinese netizens and viewers."

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