"Samsung drops out of $1 billion advertising campaign with Olympics."
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A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 26, 2024. (AP)
No, Samsung has not withdrawn its Olympics sponsorship
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An International Olympic Committee spokesperson told PolitiFact Samsung Electronics Co. has not withdrawn its sponsorship.
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Samsung has continued to share posts and articles about the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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This claim was first shared by websites that publish what they describe as "satire."
Did technology giant Samsung Electronics Co. withdraw its sponsorship of the 2024 Paris Olympics? No, but the claim got a lot of traction on Facebook.
"HOT NEWS: Samsung Drops Out of $1 Billion Advertising Campaign with Olympics, "They’ve Gone Woke," a July 30 Facebook post said. The post featured a photo of Samsung's Vice Chairman and CEO Jong-Hee Han alongside an image of an Olympics opening ceremony performer.
The Facebook post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Threads and Instagram.)
We saw similar claims on X.
But we found this claim originated on websites that describe their content as "satire." The websites Esspots and SpaceXMania, for example, posted stories with this claim on July 28, two days after the opening ceremony. The satire context is frequently dropped as the eye-catching graphics are ripped from those sites and spread across the web.
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An International Olympic Committee spokesperson told PolitiFact in a statement that the viral posts were "incorrect."
"The IOC has an agreement with Worldwide Olympic Partner Samsung through 2028," the statement said. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic Games.
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Samsung declined to comment and directed PolitiFact to a Reuters article debunking the claim.
A portion of the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony drew criticism from some Catholics and other Christians who said they felt it mocked a sacred scene depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, "The Last Supper." Its artistic director said it was not intended to be subversive, but to reference a celebration of the Greek god Dionysus. The Olympics organizing committee has since apologized.
Since the opening ceremony, Samsung has continued to share articles about its involvement in the games on its website and social media.
We rate the claim that Samsung has withdrawn sponsorship for the Olympics False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, July 30, 2024
Facebook post, July 28, 2024
NBC, Target of 'Last Supper' ire at Paris Olympics takes legal action, July 30, 2024
The Guardian, Olympic ‘Last Supper’ scene was in fact based on painting of Greek gods, say art experts, July 29, 2024
The Guardian, Paris Olympics organisers apologise to Christians for unintentional Last Supper parody, July 28, 2024
CBS News, Paris Olympics organizers say sorry for offense, but insist opening ceremony did not depict "The Last Supper", July 29, 2024
Reuters, Fact Check: Satire site says Samsung pulled $1 billion Olympics ad campaign, July 30, 2024
International Olympic Committee, IOC and Samsung extend partnership through to 2028, Dec. 4, 2018
Email exchange with with International Olympic Committee, August 2, 2024
Email exchange with Samsung, August 1, 2024
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No, Samsung has not withdrawn its Olympics sponsorship
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