FACT CHECK: No, Israel Did Not Perform Artistic Gymnastics Olympics Routine Advocating For Release Of Hostages

A video shared on Instagram allegedly shows the Israeli Artistic Gymnastics team performing a routine at the 2024 Olympics with signs at the end spelling out “Bring them home now!” 

Verdict: False 

The video was not taken at the Olympics. It was performed by an Israeli gymnastics team and was uploaded before the Olympics.

Fact Check: 

Israel ended the Olympic games on Saturday having earned seven medals, its best yet, according to the Times of Israel. The country surpassed its previous record of four medals in the Tokyo Olympics despite the minor anti-Israeli demonstrations, the outlet reported.

The Instagram post purportedly shows Israel’s artistic gymnastics team performing a routine which ends with a plea for their hostages back. The video shows the athletes performing in white and they strike a pose at the end, performers in the front raise  signs that spell out “Bring them home now!”

Overlaid text on the video reads, “Israel’s Artistic Gymnastics team performing at the Paris Olympics with Powerful Message at the End.”

“When Israeli Olympic teams couldn’t wear a yellow ribbon pin for the hostages during the Paris Olympics, they found other ways to bring awareness,” the post’s caption reads.

The video was not taken at the Olympics, however. There are no credible news reports to corroborate this claim. 

The performance can be seen in full in a Facebook post, but its caption does not indicate that it was taken at the Olympics. Translating the account’s title indicates that it is a gymnastics school. The post’s caption reads, “Gymnast Mazkeret Batya Acrobatic Gymnastics team from Israel in a show calling for the immediate return of our hostages back home now!”

Although the account did not post the video until July 28, it shared another video of the performance on July 26. Gymnastics performances at the Olympics did not start until July 27th, according to the NBC Olympics website. (RELATED: Pro-Israel Image Featuring Swimmers Predates 2024 Olympics)

It is true that the International Olympic Committee did not allow Israeli athletes competing in the 2024 Olympics to wear yellow ribbons, which represent the campaign to free hostages held in Gaza, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Check Your Fact has reached out to a spokesperson for the Israel Olympic Committee for comment. 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Telegram
Tumblr