Fact Check: Photo of teddy bears in stadium stands not from 2020 Tokyo Olympics
An image of teddy bears seated in stadium seats is widely being shared on social media with the claim that it was taken during the recent Tokyo Olympics.
By Tejal Sinha Published on 16 Aug 2021 5:24 AM GMT
Hyderabad: An image of teddy bears seated in stadium seats is widely being shared on social media with the claim that it was taken during the recent Tokyo Olympics.
The caption, in Thai, translates to, "Olympic Games in Tokyo view of the audience in the stands."
Fact Check
The claim is false.
NewsMeter performed a Google reverse image search which led us to Getty Images. According to the caption the photo was taken at Heerenveen in the Netherlands on 24 October 2020 before the start of the Dutch Eredivisie match between SC Heerenveen and FC Emmen in the Abe Lenstra Stadium. Due to COVID-19 measures, there was no audience. Hence, the stands were filled with 15,000 teddy bears wearing football shirts.
We also found a photo of the same event on SC Heerenveen club's Twitter account from 25 October 2020.
The 18 and Showsport had published similar pictures in their reports.
According to The 18, "Heerenveen scored massive victories both on and off the pitch. The club filled each of its empty 15,000 seats in the Abs Lenstra Stadio with teddy bears. The stuffed animal initiative was done to raise awareness and money for children with cancer in the Netherlands. Each teddy bear represents a child who has been affected by cancer."
It is therefore evident that the claim that the photo of the teddy bears is from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is false.
