Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Samsung withdraws its $1billion advertising deal with the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics because of its “woke agenda”.
Fact
Fake news originated from a satire article, Samsung is an official partner of the IOC.
A set of performances during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics triggered a massive backlash that saw many labelling it as an “insult” and “disrespect” to billions of Christians around the world, while reportedly sparking an ad boycott from multiple companies over the “blasphemous” games.
Amid the reports of tech firms pulling out its Olympics advertising, several social media users are claiming that South Korean giant Samsung, an official partner of the games, withdrew its $1 billion sponsorship from the Paris Olympics over its “woke agenda”.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact Check
Newschecker noticed that the top-right corner of the viral graphic shared by the users had a watermark, reading, “Rated Satire”, indicating that it was probably fake news.
We then ran a keyword search for “Samsung sponsorship Olympics”, which did not throw up any credible news reports of the multinational company boycotting the games.
Newschecker found that the company was still listed as an official partner on the website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “Samsung began its legacy with the Olympic Games three decades ago as a local sponsor of the Olympic Games Seoul 1988. At the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, Samsung became the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category. The global partnership will continue through to 2028 and, as part of the agreement, the IOC and Samsung will further develop their strategic digital collaboration to engage young generations around the world in order to promote the power of sport and the values of Olympism,” read the write-up on the official website.
We found no announcement from Samsung regarding any boycott, while there were multiple reports hailing the company’s association with the ongoing games and the controversial opening ceremony.
“Who said an Olympic Opening Ceremony must happen inside a stadium? In a night of firsts, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 officially kicked off with a historic ceremony on the Seine River — and Samsung Electronics, a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, provided the groundbreaking innovation that made it so special,” read a press release, dated July 28, 2024.
Newschecker traced the origin of the rumours to this article, published by Esspots on July 28, 2024, tagged as “satire” and written by “Alex Robin”. “With years of experience in crafting clever and satirical pieces, Alex has made a name for himself as one of the funniest and sharpest writers in the industry. Although his true identity remains a mystery, what is clear is that Alex has a knack for finding the absurdity in everyday situations and turning them into laugh-out-loud funny stories…,” read the writer’s bio below the article.
Similarly, the “About Us” section of the website read, “Welcome to the US page of Esspots (A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specialising in Satire and Parody News), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humour and satire…On this page, you can expect to find all sorts of hilarious stories and parodies about US politics, culture, and society. From outrageous conspiracy theories to outlandish political stunts, we’ve got it all covered…,” confirming that the news was originally published as satire. A similar satire article can be seen here.
Conclusion
Viral claims that Samsung pulled out its $1 billion sponsorship deal with the IOC after the controversial opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics was found to have originated from a satirical article.
Result: Satire
Sources
IOC website
Samsung website
Esspots article, July 28, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
