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
Viral video and image showing the camaraderie between Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra after they finished first and second, respectively, following the men’s javelin throw final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fact
Viral video dates back to 2023 World Athletics Championship, while image is from the 2018 Asian Games.
A couple of visuals have gone viral on social media, claiming to be from the men’s javelin throw final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday (August 8), where Arshad Nadeem’s record-breaking throw stunned 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, becoming the first Pakistani to win an individual Olympic gold, while Chopra became the third Indian, after PV Sindhu and Sushil Kumar, to win individual Olympic medals at two different Games.
While one video purportedly shows a “heartwarming moment” where Chopra invites Nadeem for a picture with the Indian tricolour as the Pakistani athlete was not able to get his country’s flag, the other viral image claims to show the two medallists on the podium, resulting in “one of the most endearing images from the Olympics.”
The archived versions of the posts can be seen here and here.
Fact Check
Newschecker first noticed that Nadeem was draped in the Pakistani flag in the second image, contradicting the claim in the viral video, indicating that the visuals may be of different events.
Claim 1
Newschecker saw that several commenters to the Twitter posts pointed out that it was an old video. We then ran a reverse image search, which led us to the same video on Youtube, uploaded on July 16, 2024, predating the javelin final at the Paris Olympics.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to multiple news reports and social media posts from last year, seen here, here, here, here and here, hailing the friendship between the two athletes at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.
“Indian Champion Neeraj Chopra’s gesture at the World Athletics Championships goes viral. Neeraj and the Czech athlete posed with their respective flags as per the ritual. However, Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem was missing from the frame. The silver medallist was left without the Pakistan flag during the photo session. But Neeraj Chopra, in a million-dollar act, invited him for the photographs. The pair standing together with the Indian flag behind them is breaking the internet now,” read an HT report, dated August 28, 2023, confirming the viral video is not from the Paris Olympics.
Claim 2
Newschecker noticed that the text on the medal’s strap read, “Asian Games 2018”, indicating that the image was not from the Paris Olympics.We then ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to multiple news reports featuring the same photo, seen here, here, here, here and here, stating that it happened during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
“Gold medallist India’s Neeraj Chopra shakes hands with bronze medallist Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem during the victory ceremony for the men’s javelin throw athletics event during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 27, 2018,” read the caption of the viral image on the Getty Images website, crediting the photo to AFP.
Also Read: Viral Visual Showing Dire State Of ‘Hindu Child In Bangladesh’ Is Actually From Gaza
Conclusion
Visuals of Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem from old athletics events falsely linked to 2024 Paris Olympics.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Youtube video, DNA News, August 28, 2023
Hindustan Times report, August 28, 2023
India Today report, August 28, 2023
Getty Images
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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.
