On Thursday, swimmer Michael Phelps apologized to all of China, in an attempt at saving his $1 million golden advertising deal with car manufacturer Mazda. In a video distributed by Mazda to Chinese media, the Olympian begs for forgiveness from fans that cheered him on during his eight gold medal wins last summer in Beijing.

"To my Chinese friends, as many of you know, I recently engaged in behavior which was regrettable and not what people have come to expect from me. I will learn from these mistakes, train hard, and make you proud again," said Phelps in the video apology.

The photo of Phelps smoking from a bong which was published in News of the World has already cost him an advertising deal with Kellogg. Other sponsors have stuck by him and accepted his apology, including now Mazda who hired him for more than $1 million to help push cars in China.

Watch the video here: