2024 Olympics

Did the World Boxing Organization say Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif was actually a man, banning her from boxing for life and forcing her to return all her medals and prize money? No, that's not true: An attorney for the organization told Lead Stories that it has not taken any position on Khelif's gender and that she has never even…

Does an image of a shirtless boxer in black briefs show new evidence that the Olympic women's boxing champion from Algeria, Imane Khelif, is really a man? No, that's not true: This photo is fake and was posted on X by an account that publishes only AI-generated images. It has several telltale signs of AI such as strange, glyph-like text…

Was Thomas Jolly, "the artist who created the Olympics opening ceremony," hospitalized after being hit by lightning? No, that's not true: The viral claim was based on a fake screenshot of a nonexistent AP article. Lead Stories found no actual news reports or any evidence that such a lightning strike happened. The claim appeared in a reel on Facebook on…

Did American basketball player Brittney Griner make a public statement announcing she is leaving the United States? No, that's not true: Griner's long-time agent refuted the claim in an email to Lead Stories and there are no stories about any such announcement on any news websites. The rumor first appeared in an AI-generated article published by what appeared to be…

Does a video on social media show Moroccan football players at the Paris Olympics doing throat-slitting motions and shouting "Allahu Akbar"? No, that's not true: That video was posted to Instagram in July 2023, when Morocco was participating in the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. That competition was held in Rabat, Morocco, one year before the Paris Olympics started. The…

Did a Turkish mechanic, Yusuf Dikec, discover a passion for sport shooting while going through a "particularly frustrating divorce mediation" and did he send his ex-wife a message from the Olympic podium that he wants his dog back? No, that's not true: This origin story is satire, in reality he has been an internationally competitive sport shooter since 2001. Now…

Did Mike Tyson announce he wants to box against "Olympic Dude," a derogatory reference to female boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria's team? No, that's not true: Tyson's representative told Lead Stories: "This is absolutely false." Lead Stories could find no news reports about Tyson making such a statement. Social media posts about the announcement offered no evidence that Tyson ever…

Did Olympian Simone Biles reveal that she's pregnant and announce she will retire when she finishes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as a Facebook post said? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, Lead Stories did not find any evidence on her social media nor on credible sports news sites that Biles made such an announcement.…

Is Algerian boxer Imane Khelif a man who transitioned to be a woman? No, that's not true: International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach publicly said that Khelif's case is the case of somebody "being born, raised, competed and having a passport as a woman", which is the Olympic standard for determination of gender. According to the athlete's own words, she…

Did Tesla CEO Elon Musk announce on social media that he would "stop all donations" towards the Olympic Games because it's "a woke event now"? No, that's not true: There are no posts on Musk's social media making or confirming such an announcement. The original article reporting that was written using artificial intelligence according to an online tool that detects…