Following reports of the Macedonian flag being excluded at the Australian Open tennis tournament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly responded by communicating with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and AO organizers.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received assurances that the omission was an unintentional technical error, promptly rectified without causing any effective restrictions. In a press release, the Ministry stated that a sincere apology was extended, emphasizing that the incident would not impact the strong bonds between the citizens of Australia and Macedonia, characterized by friendship and a shared love for sports.

The organizers clarified that, in accordance with tournament rules, only flags of participating players are permitted to be displayed at the stands during matches. They confirmed that the official flag of Macedonia was freely displayed by fans during the match featuring Macedonia’s Lina Gjorchevska in the tournament qualifiers.