Fact Check: Old video of relay race falsely shared as India qualifying for finals in Paris Olympics 2024

Hyderabad: The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, is being held from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France. These games mark the third time Paris has hosted the Olympics, following the 1900 and 1924 editions.

In this context, A video of a relay race competition is making rounds on social media. The four-minute video shows India being the runner-up and qualifying for the finals. Several X users have shared the video with the claim suggesting India has qualified for the finals in the Paris Olympics 2024.

Former IPS officer and former LG of Puducherry, Kiran Bedi shared the video with the caption, “India makes it to finals. Have a look. #OlympicGames.” (Archive)

Bollywood actor, Anupam Kher shared the video and wrote, “India in the finals! Jai Hind!.. #OlympicGames.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows India’s relay team qualifying for the finals of the World Athletic Championship in 2023.

We listened to the commentary in the viral clip and found the commentator saying in the end that India alongside the USA qualified for the final of the World Championship.

Taking this cue, we conducted a keyword search and found a video showing the same visuals on a YouTube channel Brown Ballers on August 27, 2023. According to the caption, the video shows India’s 4x400m men’s Relay Team qualifying for the World Championship for the first time.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien shared the video on August 27, describing it as a historic moment for Indian sports. In his caption, he highlighted the outstanding performance of players Yahiya, Jacob, Ajmal and Rajesh, who led the Indian relay team to qualify for the final.

According to reports by The Hindu and News 18 on August 27, the Indian men’s 4x400 relay team, comprising Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal and Rajesh Ramesh, shattered the Asian record with a stunning time of 2 minutes 59.05 seconds. This impressive performance qualified them for their maiden final round at the World Championships in Budapest on August 26, 2023. However, India clocked in at 2:59:92s finishing fifth in the finals.

When is the men’s 4x400m relay race at the Paris 2024 Olympics?

According to the official Olympics website, the first round of the men’s 4x400m relay race is scheduled for Friday, August 9 and the final is scheduled for Saturday, August 10. Both events will take place at the Stade de France.