No, Samsung didn’t drop out of a $1 billion sponsorship with the Olympics

The 2024 Paris Olympics have attracted criticism in recent days over a tableau reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” that featured drag queens during its opening ceremony. 

The controversy led Olympics organizers to apologize to anyone who was offended by the tableau, which also resembles a different painting called “The Feast of the Gods.” Thomas Jolly, the ceremony’s artistic director, distanced his scene from any “Last Supper” parallels after the ceremony, saying it was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy. 

Viral social media posts that include photos from that tableau claim technology company Samsung dropped its $1 billion sponsorship with the Olympics because the Games have gone “woke.” 

“If your [sic] looking for electronics…may I suggest these guys…Samsung Withdraws $1 Billion Sponsorship from Paris Olympics, ‘Woke Agenda,’” one of the posts says.

THE QUESTION

Did Samsung drop out of a $1 billion sponsorship with the Olympics?

THE SOURCES

THE ANSWER

No, Samsung didn’t drop out of a $1 billion sponsorship with the Olympics.

WHAT WE FOUND

Samsung didn’t drop out of a $1 billion advertising campaign with the Olympics. The rumor came from satirical articles. 

A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told VERIFY the claims circulating online are “incorrect.” Samsung declined to comment but pointed VERIFY to a Reuters fact-check article that debunks the rumors.

The IOC “has an agreement with Worldwide Olympic Partner Samsung” through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the committee’s spokesperson said. Samsung is also listed as a partner on the Olympics website, alongside companies like Airbnb, Toyota, Panasonic, P&G, Intel and Visa. 

The false claims about Samsung pulling its Olympic sponsorship stem from two satirical articles published in late July. 

One of the articles published by spacexmania.com has a headline that reads, “Breaking: Samsung Withdraws $1 Billion Sponsorship from Paris Olympics, ‘Woke Agenda.’” But that article is clearly labeled as “satire” in the upper left corner.

Its author, Alex Bruno, also says he is a “writer with a passion for space exploration and a penchant for satirical commentary.”

Esports.com, which says it is a subsidiary of spacexmania.com “specializing in satire and parody,” published another article with similar false claims about Samsung dropping out of its Olympics advertising campaign.

Multiple social media posts about Samsung dropping out of the Olympics advertising campaign are also labeled as “satire” in the upper right or left hand corners. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.