Samsung did not pull Olympics sponsorship over Paris opening ceremony

"Samsung Withdraws $1 Billion Sponsorship from Paris Olympics, 'Woke Agenda'," read text on an image shared on X on July 30.

Another post on Facebook showed a headline that read: "Breaking: Samsung Drops Out of $1 Billion Advertising Campaign with Olympics, 'They've Gone Woke'."

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Screenshot of the X post, taken August 1, 2024

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Screenshot of the Facebook post, taken August 1, 2024

Similar posts spread online in Spanish, Romanian and a string of other languages after some Catholic groups and French bishops condemned what they saw as "scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity" at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26 (archived link).

Criticism focused on a scene involving dancers, drag queens and a DJ in poses that recalled depictions of the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus is said to have taken with his apostles according to religious texts.

Thomas Jolly, the theatre director behind the ceremony, denied taking inspiration from the Last Supper in his nearly four-hour production, which took place in driving rain along the River Seine.

Organisers said they were "really sorry" if any offence was caused by their daring and quirky opening ceremony while denying any intention to "disrespect" religion. 

Samsung has sponsored the Olympics since the Seoul Games in 1988, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lists the South Korean firm as its "Worldwide Partner" until 2028 (archived link).

'Satire' article

Many social media users appeared to believe Samsung had ditched its Olympics partnership.

"Wow, good for Samsung. They are listening to their customers and are smart enough to stay out of political themes!!" one person commented.

Another X user wrote: "Today we have successfully pushed Samsung to cancel their $1 billion advertising contract with the Paris Olympics".

"This is what ALL ADVERTISERS NEED TO DO!" another said.

However, the baseless claim originated from joke websites Esspots and SpaceXMania, which labelled the stories as "satire" when they published them on July 28.

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Screenshot of the Esspots article taken on August 2, 2024. AFP highlighted a satire tag in red.

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Screenshot of the SpaceXMania article taken on August 2, 2024. AFP highlighted a satire label in red.

The websites feature disclaimers that they publish satrical content, with SpaceXMania saying its "satire" articles are "often entirely made up" (archived link).

Essports says: "Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire" (archived link).

Meanwhile, Samsung representatives in France and South Korea confirmed the brand had not scrapped its partnership with the Olympics.

"This statement is false. We are of course still partners with Paris 2024," a representative for Samsung France told AFP on August 1.

He said the brand would "honour our commitments with the IOC until Los Angeles 2028". 

A spokesperson for Samsung Electronics in South Korea also said the claim was false.

Moreover, the company said in a July 30 press release that it had opened a promotional space at Marigny Square in Paris -- near the site of Olympic skateboarding and breaking competitions -- "to celebrate the official start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024" (archived link).

Olympic medallists have also been seen snapping selfies with Samsung phones, with the brand sharing athletes' "Victory Selfies" on its X account (archived link).

AFP has previously fact-checked misinformation around the Paris Olympics.