The Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association, China said on Monday it has strictly followed the guidelines, after reports suggested the SAR regional flag shown at the medal ceremonies of the World Jump Rope Championships in Japan differed from the official design.

The rope skipping association said the correct version of the SAR regional flag was given to the organisers earlier.

More than 2,600 athletes from 34 countries and regions took part in the tournament recently held in Kawasaki, with representatives from Hong Kong, China winning a number of medals.

The Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association, China said it has all along followed strictly the guidelines provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on the use of the regional flag and the national anthem when participating in overseas tournaments.

The body added it had followed established procedures for the world championships in Japan by, for example, providing organisers with a file of the correct regional flag that was downloaded from the official government website.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, for its part, said it contacted the rope skipping association to learn about the case.

The bureau also reminded sports organisations that the regional flag displayed at competitions must match the format and specifications stated on the government's webpage, and that they should reference guidelines issued by the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.