Fact Check: Viral photo of man shooting backwards is not from 2024 Paris Olympics

Hyderabad: Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who won the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has become an Internet sensation due to his unique and casual approach. Unlike the typical intense and focused appearance of athletes in high-pressure competitions, Dikec opted for a simpler setup. He was seen shooting with one hand in his pocket, wearing regular glasses and sporting a casual T-shirt, forgoing the typical shooting gear.

In this context, an image depicting a shooter aiming at a target facing the other way and looking at its reflection in a mirror has gone viral. The accompanying claim suggests that the image is from the ongoing Paris Olympics. The image also carries the background of the Paris Olympics boards in front of the audience.

A Thread user shared the image and wrote, “The Olympics has a new legend.” (Archive)

An X user shared the image with the caption, “Don’t try like this man #Paris2024.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The Olympic background was digitally inserted using Photoshop. The original image is from ‘Ching Roi Ching Lan,’ a game show in Thailand.

The man in the photo is actor-comedian Pongsak Pongsuwan.

Upon conducting a reverse image search of the image, we found a video depicting the same visual posted on X on August 2. The video shows a man shooting the target backwards by looking at the reflection in a mirror in a game show. However, the video does not have the Paris Olympics background.

We also found the extended version of the video published by Thailand-based WorkPoint TV on its official YouTube channel on August 15, 2019. The video shows several people, including a child aiming a target with a pistol in a comedy game show. The visual of the man shooting backwards appears at the 3:10-minute mark.

According to the channel, the video is from the Ching Roi Ching Lan show, which broadcasts every Sunday. The English translation of the title reads, ‘Ching Roi Ching Lan Wow Wow Wow.’

Ching Roi Ching Lan is a popular Thai game show that first aired in 1990. The show blends game show elements with comedy sketches, featuring a mix of hosts, comedy actors, and celebrity guests. This combination has been a major factor in its enduring popularity. One notable part of the show is the ‘Wow Wow Wow’ segment, where a comedian performs a magic trick, eliciting reactions of awe from the audience. Additionally, using AI Copilot, we found that the man seen shooting backwards is Pongsak Pongsuwan, a Thai actor and comedian.

Hence, we conclude that the video does not show a participant shooting backwards in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The claim is false.