Adidas were the partners for the official Team GB kit and those designs were actually completed some two years ago. They will be officially unveiled by athletes for the first time later this month on April 17.
“All Team GB athletes will wear the Union Jack as normal in Paris,” said a BOA spokesperson.
It has also been stressed that the new colour scheme will appear only on selected merchandise, as well as some digital graphics, as part of a number of different designs that have been used to appeal to all ages of fans.
Although the Team GB kit itself is expected to include different shades of blue or red, as in the London and Tokyo Games, it is not inspired by the colours on the merchandise which are perceived to have crossing over into purples and pinks.
The sold out flags, which were branded as a ‘Paris Union Jack Supporters Flag’, cost £12 while the sold out metal water bottles were priced at £17.50. The same-size traditional Union flag, which is still available, costs £8 although there is also a larger hand-machined “premium sewn” Union flag that retails at £49.
Shilton, the record appearance holder for the men’s England football team, condemned the different flag colours, saying: “Nothing is sacred.”