The global spectacle is in full swing: the Olympic Games in France are bringing immense joy to sports fans worldwide. The top athletes are competing, all eyes are glued to TV screens and social media, and everyone is seeking even more excitement.
Unfortunately, though predictably, disinformation is also spreading. It has been present since the preparations for the opening ceremony, through the opening itself, and persists to this day.
First, we read that the Olympics promote Satanism and transhumanism, fueling fears with questions like: Is it possible that we are already programmed and blindly following commands? In reality, the video in question is from a few years ago, originating from the Tokyo Paralympic Games, specifically from the handover ceremony to Paris. The artists performed a beautiful, complex piece that included people with disabilities, promoting universal values.
The Paris Olympic opening ceremony stirred controversy, drawing a reaction from the Christian community and leading to an apology. The controversial issue was a segment of the opening that allegedly resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” Christians were offended, claiming it mocked one of the most important scenes in the Bible. Soon after, a video of a supposed mass protest over this incident began circulating on social media. However, the footage is actually two years old and has nothing to do with the Olympics or any protests against the opening ceremony.
The disinformation continued, with claims that the Olympic Committee had suspended a transgender swimmer from the USA, backed by a photoshopped image emphasizing the athlete’s genitalia in a swimsuit. In reality, Lia Thomas didn’t even qualify for the Olympics due to regulations set by the global swimming federation. She appealed, but her appeal was denied. Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, the photo used to back up the claim of her suspension from Paris was manipulated.
Whenever there are global events, politics is never far behind. Social media posts claimed that the Chinese delegation this year chose a design supposedly inspired by the Palestinian flag. The image showed an athlete in a green and black outfit, with a red cloth fluttering behind her. However, this is just one of a series of photos dedicated to the Asian Games from two years ago. The Chinese delegation opted for the classic red-and-white combination for this Olympics.
Once again, it is evident that no globally significant event is immune to disinformation. The differences lie in the variations – whether it is politics, the familiar narrative of the evil and depraved West, or classic conspiracy theories predicting that we will soon be “chipped” and “programmed.”
This project is funded by the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica. The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of State/Government.
Marko Vukajlovic, Raskrinkavanje.me