A post shared on social media purportedly shows an Associated Press headline claiming that the Olympic opening ceremony organizer was struck by lightning.
Verdict: False
The image has been edited.
Fact Check:
Olympic gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea filed an appeal of docking her .10 points for going out of bounds during a floor final, The New York Post reported. A successful appeal would make her the bronze medal winner, which has already switched hands once since the event when American gymnast Jordan Chiles’ finish was challenged.
A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows a headline that Thomas Jolly the artist who organized the Olympics opening ceremony. The headline reads, “Artist behind the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Hospitalised After Freak Lightning Strike.” The caption says, Huh…you don’t say…”
The claim is inaccurate. There is no record of the article on the AP website. There is no headline found on any of their social media accounts. Likewise, there is no record of an archive version.
A search of the outlet’s website does return an article with the same image. The real headline reads, “Police investigating hate speech targeting Olympics opening ceremony director Thomas Jolly.”
According to the article, the director filed a report with Paris police claiming that he has received death threats. French President Emmanual Macron said he is “outraged” by the threats and claimed the ceremony made “many people happy.” (RELATED: Was Emmanuel Macron Booed At The Closing Ceremony Of The Paris Olympics?)
This is not the first time misinformation has circulated online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim that Bill Gates is integrating HIV into Mpox vaccine.