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| - Fact Check: Old clip of synchronised walking by Japanese students viral as Olympics closing event
An old video showing synchronised precision walking by students of Nippon Sport Science University, Japan, has gone viral on social media with the false claim that it is from the closing ceremony of Tokyo Olympics 2020.
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India Today Fact Check
This video is at least seven years old and shows synchronised precision walking by students of Nippon Sport Science University, Japan.
Meanwhile, an enthralling video of a well-synchronised walk by some boys and girls is viral on social media. On one instance, a top angle shot shows the performers forming five rings, which looks similar to the Olympic rings. It is being said that this walk was part of the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony.
“Tokyo Olympic 2021. Wonderful closing Ceremony at the #Olympics like each person was digitally programmed,” reads one such caption along with the video.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the viral video is at least seven years old and has no connection with the Olympics. It shows a synchronised walk performance by students of Nippon Sport Science University in Japan.
AFWA probe
Reverse-searching keyframes of the viral video, we found it in a website called “Gif Magazine” Here, a clip from the video has been shared with the caption in Japanese, which translates to: GIF image of Nippon Sport Science University performing a miracle march “group action”.
A link underneath this caption led us to the YouTube page of Japanese television broadcaster “TV Asahi” The viral clip is part of this 12-minute-37-second video.
The YouTube page had shared the video on January 20, 2014, with the description in Japanese that broadly translates to: The latest performance of Nippon Sport Science University’s “Group Action” filmed by TV Asahi using eight cameras. An 11-minute miracle march & moment of joy will be unveiled uncut!
This clearly means the video was shot by TV Asahi in 2014 or before. The exact date of the performance is not mentioned.
We compared some stills from the viral video with the ones from the TV Asahi report. This comparison clearly shows the similarities between the two videos.
We found a similar video uploaded on the YouTube channel of Euronews on November 15, 2013. As per the video description, the performance was carried out on November 14, 2013. Some 77 students of Nippon Sport Science University had practiced for five months to put together the amazing performance.
This university has produced many Olympic medallists.
According to a 2013 report published in “The Irish Times”, this act of synchronised precision walking is called “Shudankodo” in Japanese which means collective action. The report also says that the students of Nippon Sport Science University have been doing this since 1966.
Some visuals from the actual Olympics 2020 closing ceremony can be seen below.
Therefore, it is clear that an old video of synchronised precision walking by Japanese students is being shared as the closing ceremony of Tokyo Olympics.
(With inputs from Saurabh Bhatnagar)
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