A screenshot of the women's volleyball medal ceremony shows a promotional banner held by an audience member appears right behind the Chinese women's volleyball team. (Screenshot from CCTV)

At the medal ceremony to crown the Chinese women's volleyball team in Rio on Aug. 21, a large promotional banner held by an audience member appeared right behind the Chinese women's volleyball team. The banner, which read "Beautiful Hanzhong [a city in China's Shannxi province]," was suspected to be a local tourism advertisement. As the scene was broadcast live to people all around the world, the seemingly blatant promotion was widely criticized.

Li Qiang, who held the banner at the scene, is a sports fan who hails from Hanzhong. Li is also the chairman of the football fan association of Hanzhong, and president of Mei'an Group Company. He told a reporter from CN West that he came to Rio to watch the games at his own expense, and that the banner was not meant as a commercial promotion.

On the afternoon of Aug. 21, the sports bureau of Hanzhong issued a statement to explain the situation, saying that the parties concerned were simply expressing their personal feelings and hometown pride. 

The statement confirmed that Li came to Rio at his own expense. As a sports fun, he also traveled to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. Meanwhile, the statement suggested that Li, along with all other audience members from Hanzhong, should follow the rules of the Olympic Committee and express their personal feelings in an appropriate way. 

The statement issued by the sports bureau of Hanzhong. (Photo from Weibo)