No, this is not a performance by an Israel artistic gymnastics team at the 2024 Olympics

What is the claim?

Multiple social media users have shared a 3:39 minute video claiming that it depicts Israel's artistic gymnastics team performing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The viral video shows a group of gymnasts dressed in white costumes performing on a stage. It features a yellow ribbon (at 2:30 timestamp), a longstanding symbol signifying the readiness to welcome prisoners and hostages. Furthermore, the performance concludes with some participants holding individual letters to display the slogan "BRING THEM HOME NOW collectively. The slogan has become a global campaign calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas since October 7, 2023. 

The claim is being shared across social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. One of the X users shared this video with the caption, "Israel's Artistic Gymnastics team performing at the Paris Olympics. Watch until the end and have some tissues handy." This post has garnered over 647,000 views and more than 9,500 likes.

The archives of this and other such posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of similar claims on social media. (Source: Instagram/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, upon investigation, we found that the performance was carried out by a local gymnast team, "Gymnast Mazkeret Batya," in Israel and is unrelated to the Paris Olympics.

What are the facts?

Upon conducting a reverse image search on one of the keyframes of the viral video, we found a similar video (archived here) posted on Facebook by a Gymnast school based in Israel, "Gymnast - School for Gymnastics and Acrobatics." The 3:44 minute video titled, "Bring Them Home Now! - By Gymnast Mazkeret Batya Acrobatic Gymnastic Team" is shot from the center of the venue, unlike the viral video, which seems to have been shot comparatively from the left side of the stage. However, it is quite clear that the two videos in question depict the same performance. 

The Facebook video shows the same yellow ribbon sign displayed at the timestamp 2:42 and the "Bring Them Home Now" slogan at 3:36 minutes, earlier seen in the viral video. 

Screenshot from a video posted by an Israeli gymnast school on Facebook. (Source: Gymnast-School for Gymnastics and Acrobatics/Modified by Logically Facts)

The video's description indicates that the performance by Gymnast Mazkeret Batya, an acrobatic gymnastics team, was a call for the immediate release of those who have been held hostages by Hamas since October 7, 2023. The video credits various individuals involved in the production, including those responsible for the music, costumes, photographs, and coaching team, but does not indicate that the event took place at the Paris Olympics 2024. 

Logically Facts also contacted the Gymnast-School for Gymnastics and Acrobatics for comment. A spokesperson confirmed that Gymnast Mazkeret Batya performed at a gymnastic hall in Rehovot, Israel, as a part of Gymnast's end-of-year performances, adding, "this specific performance was composed to spread awareness for the immediate return of all the Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas."

Logically Facts also contacted the Israel Gymnastics Federation for a comment on the viral video. "This is a video from a club in Israel, and it was performed only in Israel for the kidnapped citizens after 7.10.," they said, adding that the Israeli Artistic Gymnastics team did not perform at the Paris Olympics 2024. The video is not connected to the ongoing Olympics, they stressed.

Paris 2024 Olympics

According to the Jerusalem Post, 88 Israeli athletes are participating in the Paris Olympics 2024 this year. Additionally, The Times of Israel reported that Israel has a total of eight athletes participating in gymnastics, with Artem Dolgopyat already securing silver in the final of the men's floor exercise in artistic gymnastics and Lihie Raz advancing to the finals in the Women's Artistic Individual All-Around category. 

It is clear that Israel has only two artistic gymnasts at the Paris Olympics competing in individual categories and has not participated in a particular group category. This is another confirmation that the claim stating the viral video, which shows a team performing, depicts "Israel's Artistic Gymnastics team performing at the Paris Olympics 2024," is incorrect. 

Israel's rhythmic gymnastics consists of a group performance team of Ofir Shaham, Diana Svertsov, Adar Friedmann, Romi Paritzki, and Shani Bakanov, who are scheduled to play on August 9. Meanwhile, Daria Atamanov will compete as an individual rhythmic gymnast in the women's division. 

The verdict

The video circulating online with the claim that it shows Israel's artistic gymnastics team performing at the Paris Olympics 2024 and displaying "yellow ribbons" and "Bring Them Home Now" slogans is false. The performance was done by a group called Gymnast Mazkeret Batya in Rehovot, Israel, and has nothing to do with the 2024 Olympics. 

(Update: This story has been updated to reflect a response from the Israel Gymnastics Federation.)