Baseless claim International Olympic Committee banned Megan Rapinoe for life | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: The International Olympic Committee banned Megan Rapinoe for life

An Oct. 25 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims a well-known athlete has been forever banned from one of the biggest events in the sports world.

“The International Olympic Committee Issues A Lifetime Ban on Megan Rapinoe,” reads the post.

It was shared more than 40 times in two days. Another version of the claim was shared more than 1,500 times.

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Our rating: False

There is no evidence the committee has issued any such ban against Rapinoe, who retired at the end of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season. The claim originated on a satirical website.

No evidence of ban on websites, social media accounts for Olympics or Rapinoe

There is no reference to any such ban on the committee’s website or social media accounts, or from any reputable news outlets. Rapinoe has also not mentioned a ban on her account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rapinoe announced in July that she would retire at the end of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season. She competed in three Olympic Games throughout her career, helping the U.S. women's soccer team win a gold medal in London in 2012 and a bronze medal in Tokyo in 2020.

Prior to appearing on Facebook, the claim of her supposed ban from the event was posted on a satirical website in August with a label denoting its unserious origin.

A disclaimer on SpaceX Mania’s website says articles with the label are “not meant to be taken seriously.”

“These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up,” the disclaimer reads. “We make no claim that the information presented in the articles is true or accurate.”

The outlet also told USA TODAY the post was satirical.

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It's an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where stories written as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.

United States forward Megan Rapinoe kicks the ball against South Africa during the first half at Soldier Field.
United States forward Megan Rapinoe kicks the ball against South Africa during the first half at Soldier Field.

USA TODAY has previously debunked claims that Elon Musk banned Rapinoe from X and that Rapinoe stomped on the American flag.

USA TODAY reached out to the International Olympic Committee and users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No evidence Megan Rapinoe was banned from Olympics | Fact check