As Tom Reuveny stood on the top of the olympic podium adorned by the gold medal for Men’s sailing, Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva boomed from the beaches of Marseilles. The sight was one of great pride and honor, only to be hijacked by the Israeli flag failing to make use of the apparent wind rippling through The Dutch and Aussie flags, respectively.
Be it by pure misfortune or deliberate sabotage, no amount of wind could untie the flag, which remained dejected at the top of its flagpole. The perhaps ironic scene that took place on television caught the attention of many Israelis watching the ceremony, with plenty of conspiracy theories floating about on social media, some out of pure humourism and some out of genuine anger.
Good old-fashioned Israeli conspiracies
One Israeli wrote on X: “Is it just me, or did those antisemites somehow tie our flag up so billions of global viewers won’t see it wave?!”
זו רק אני או שהאנטישמים דאגו לקשור את הדגל שלנו איכשהו כדי שלא יפתח ויתנפנף מול מליארדי צופים בעולם?! pic.twitter.com/shgdPPZXAU
— sharon (@sls091276) August 3, 2024
Another user posted a video from the 2024 Eurovision with the caption: “The guy in charge of the flag hoisting:”
Another user posted a video from the 2024 Eurovision with the caption: “The guy in charge of the flag hoisting:”
הבחור שאחראי על הדגל: pic.twitter.com/lZOzg0Ks08
— Yona SB (@SbYoavnovic) August 3, 2024
הבחור שאחראי על הדגל: pic.twitter.com/lZOzg0Ks08
— Yona SB (@SbYoavnovic) August 3, 2024
Perhaps the best of the bunch went to one user claiming to have located the upcoming Iranian retaliation plan, shaming Israel’s flag by tying it up:
Perhaps the best of the bunch went to one user claiming to have located the upcoming Iranian retaliation plan, shaming Israel’s flag by tying it up:
אולי קשירת הדגל זאת התגובה של האיראנים ואנחנו יכולים לחזור לישון ברוגע? pic.twitter.com/PVnG3JjakM
— ori ️ (@ori_riddleman) August 3, 2024.
Regardless of the reason, it’s good to see Israel racking up the medals today, even if some Jewish sarcasm was a part of it