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Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat character has sparked a diplomatic row... after his spoof version of the Kazakhstan anthem was played instead of the real one at a medal ceremony.

The Kazakhstan shooting team today demanded an apology after the incident, which came after the organisers of the tournament in Kuwait downloaded the parody from the internet by mistake.

Baron Cohen's version, from his film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, praises Kazakhstan for its superior potassium exports and for having the cleanest prostitutes in the region.

Footage of Thursday’s original ceremony shows gold medallist Maria Dmitrienko listening solemnly to the anthem before smiling.

(Image: Mirror Grab)

(Image: Mirror Grab)

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The ceremony was later rerun. Organisers also got the Serbian national anthem wrong.

It comes just weeks after embarrassed Kazakhstan officials made an anthem gaffe of their own.

As the announcer at a ski race declared: “Eyes on the flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the anthem of the Republic of Kazakhstan is beginning," proud dignitaries put their hands on their hearts.

However, instead of the earnest anthem to 'make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan', Ricky Martin’s rather more breezy 1999 No1 Livin' la Vida Loca blared out of the speakers.

Giggling officials in Kostanay were left standing for a few awkward moments, possibly expecting Borat to leap out at them in his mankini, before the worker in charge of the loudspeaker hurriedly switched to Menin Kazakhstan.

(Image: YouTube)

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Baron Cohen angered the central Asian country's politicians with his fake TV reporter character Borat, who jokes that in his country wooden carts are pulled by peasant women, they drink horse-urine and sing folk song Throw The Jew Down The Well.

Even before the mockumentary film Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was released, Borat's website, www.borat.kz, was taken offline and the country's Foreign Ministry threatened to sue Baron Cohen.

The film itself was not distributed in Kazakhstan's cinemas, although DVDs have been selling by the cartload in the country, website Amazon revealed.