AAP FACTCHECK – A three-year-old image is being used to suggest New Zealand athletes wore face masks at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
This is misleading. The image in question was taken at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 games, held in 2021 because of the pandemic.
Athletes from every nation were instructed to wear masks during the Tokyo opening ceremony.
The image appears in a Facebook post, published just hours before the Paris opening ceremony began.
“What do you think of our athletes wearing masks at the Olympics?” the caption said.
One user replied: “Well…let’s see how our athletes go during the Olympics having robbed themselves of oxygen during the Opening Ceremony, wot (sic) point are they trying to make wearing masks?”
“What? Why? How f****** ridiculous,” another user replied. “Where are we, 2020?”
“Were we the only country to wear masks?” another asked.
Some Facebook users called out the use of the old image.
The author of the Facebook post also posted on X. She appeared to double down on the claim when another user suggested it was taken at the Tokyo games.
The image used in the post was a screenshot of a Facebook post from the NZ Herald newspaper, showing athletes entering a stadium behind a flag bearer.
The headline said: “‘REALLY SPECIAL MOMENT’ Kiwi flagbearers revealed for opening ceremony.”
The NZ Herald posted the image on July 26, 2024, but the photo is of the Tokyo opening ceremony, held on July 23, 2021. The newspaper originally published the photo from Getty Images in 2021.
Masks were mandatory for all athletes during the Tokyo opening ceremony, although a handful of athletes did not comply.
The official playbook for the games said athletes had to wear masks at all times (Page 53), except when eating, drinking, sleeping, training or competing. Competitors were also allowed to briefly remove their masks for photos on the podium.
While some athletes have been photographed wearing masks in Paris, the NZ team were not photographed wearing masks at the opening ceremony.
The Verdict
Misleading – The claim is accurate in parts but information has also been presented incorrectly, out of context or omitted.
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