Israeli Swimmers’ Viral ‘Bring Them Home Now’ Image Misleadingly Tied to 2024 Olympics

An image circulating on social media, purportedly showing swimmers at the Paris Olympics calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas, was actually taken in Israel in 2023.

Numerous posts claim the image depicts Israeli swimmers spelling out “Bring them home now!” during the Paris 2024 Olympics to protest the abduction of Israeli hostages. These posts have garnered significant attention, including a Facebook post alleging that the Israeli Olympic team was barred from wearing “Bring Them Home” pins, prompting them to form the message with their bodies instead.

A similar claim on X, with over 50 million views, insists the gesture was made during a practice session due to pin restrictions at the Paris games.

The question is: Was this image taken during the Paris 2024 Olympics?

The answer: No, the image was not taken during the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Verification of the image traced it back to an Instagram post from the Wingate Institute in Israel, shared on Nov. 18, 2023. The accompanying caption explains that the Israeli artistic swimming team organized the formation at the National Institute for Sports Excellence. It aimed to raise awareness about the hostages taken by Hamas during the conflict that erupted in October 2023.

The official Instagram account for Israel’s artistic swimming team posted the same image with a corroborating caption one day later. Aerial photographer Adam Spiegel and Michael Braunstein, credited for the image, also posted it on Instagram on Nov. 18, 2023.

There are questions about the image’s authenticity due to the apparent size of the swimmers in the exclamation point. The image appears to be a composite, created using several photos. This claim is supported by individual photos shared by the Israeli artistic swimming team that were likely used in composing the final image.

It’s still unclear whether Israeli athletes are banned from wearing “bring them home” pins at the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee did not respond to requests for comment before publication.