Olympic

Does a swimmer on the 2024 Japanese Olympic team, Yokasi Maogo, have a name that sounds like the phrase "I almost drowned" in Spanish? No, that's not true: There is no swimmer by that name on Japan's Olympic swimming team. While "Yo casi me ahogo" does mean "I almost drowned" in Spanish, it's not a coincidence, as the name is…

Did Samsung withdraw from a $1 billion Olympics sponsorship after the opening ceremony for the Paris Summer Games in July 2024? No, that's not true: The website that said so is a self-described satire site that says it brings the "freshest fake news." As of August 2, 2024, there are no actual news reports that Samsung pulled their sponsorship of…

Do photos show Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni scowling in response to two female athletes kissing at the Olympics? No, that's not true: News agency video proves that the photos were taken at a volleyball match. Italy's Alice Bellandi celebrated her gold medal win in women's judo by kissing her partner and fellow judoka, Jasmine Martin. The claim appeared in…

Did Vice President Kamala Harris say "a problem is not a problem" as part of a longer quote in a meme circulating on social media? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the vice president's office answered "no" by email when Lead Stories asked if the quote was real. Lead Stories could find no video or news articles indicating Harris…

Does a video show an Olympic Games athlete vomit as a direct result of swimming in Paris' Seine? No, that's not true: The athlete shown throwing up after his triathlon faulted the Parisian heat rather than the Seine. Although the river's water quality was poor in the days preceding the triathlon, there is no evidence that it caused Olympic athletes…

Did Vice President Kamala Harris say, "Today we celebrate the Olympics. Because Olympians are Olympic, & they are at the Olympics being Olympian, so it's more important now than ever to support their Olympianism"? No, that's not true: Harris' spokesperson said that's not something she said. It is a parody of a manipulated Harris quote that Lead Stories debunked previously.…

Does a video circulating on social media show thousands of Christians in France gathered to pray after the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony purportedly mocked Jesus? No, that's not true: The video shows people gathered in Rosary Square in Lourdes, France, on August 14, 2022 -- the eve of the annual Feast of the Assumption. This video does not show…

Did massive power outages occur in Paris on July 27, 2024, the day after the Olympics opening ceremony? No, that's not true: The energy company responsible for the power outages said power was restored within 10 minutes and that 85,000 residential clients were affected, while the Paris metropolitan area has a population of 11 million. The power cuts were not…

Does a picture going viral on social media show Israeli swimmers making the phrase "Bring them home now" with their bodies during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics? No, that's not true: The photo was taken in 2023 and posted to social media at that time. Also, it was taken at a pool in Israel, more than 2,600 miles from the…

Is Nikki Hiltz a biological man as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: Hiltz was assigned female at birth. Hiltz has openly identified as transgender and nonbinary, opting for they/them gender pronouns, since 2021. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 2, 2024. Above an image of Hiltz…