Dharm Makwana

The mayor of the Olympic city's biggest suburb is ready to fly a flag of the Australian Olympic mascot should it be banned from the Vancouver 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 Friday statement. “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 red boxing gloves on a green backdrop has covered the balcony of two suites since Sunday.

Word of a potential flap over the boxing kangaroo flag broke Thursday after an International Olympic Committee official toured the Southeast False Creek 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 banner “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. Canadian athletes who arrived in the village on Friday had their photos taken in front of the flag.

"They were doing their own boxing poses," said Australian Olympic Committee 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.”