Athletes

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…

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…

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…

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…

Is a photo showing hockey fans spelling out "FUCK TRUDEAU" with placards authentic? No, that's not true: The sign spelled out by fans at a Stanley Cup game actually read "BELIEVE," and was digitally edited. Two different publications posted the original photo with the sign reading "BELIEVE." An online news search did not yield any evidence of a sign with…

Is Israel out of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as of June 24, 2024, as was claimed in a social media post? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Israel remains on the list of 206 national teams entered to compete. Lead Stories could find no evidence that would corroborate the claim that Israel was "out of the…

Has Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship Division I title, been exclusively banned from competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, as a post on Facebook implied? No, that's not true: The International Olympic Committee outlined a framework for all transgender and intersex athletes. However, national committees oversee athletic participation in their respective…

Did American actor Chris Evans sign a live bomb in 2016 in a photo op? No, that's not true: The object the "Captain America" actor signed was not an explosive device, but a replica, an inert training aid. The actor was at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey on a USO tour with several other entertainers on December 5, 2016. When…

Did the U.S. Olympic Committee say that American swimmer Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship Division I title, is "welcome to try out for the men's team," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: The spoof article that made the claim was published by SpaceX Arena, a satirical website. SpaceX…