Like Habeck and Prince Harry
IOC falls for fake call from Russian trolls
March 21, 2024, 8:17 p.m
For some time now, a Russian group has been tricking top politicians and celebrities with phone calls. Now the International Olympic Committee has also been hit. It is not clear which IOC officials were the target of the call and what exactly was discussed.
The International Olympic Committee has fallen victim to a fake call allegedly coming from Russia. According to the IOC, representatives of the umbrella organization fell for a group that had previously duped a number of top international politicians and other celebrities. During the call, a person pretended to be the president of the African Union and asked the IOC for arguments against the Russian government’s politicization of sport, the statement said.
The umbrella organization did not say which IOC officials were the target of the call or what exactly was discussed. In the past few months, Federal Foreign Minister Robert Habeck, former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Prince Harry and pop superstar Elton John have already fallen for Russian trolls who specialize in disinformation.
The IOC had already pointed out a disinformation campaign last fall. Fake quotes and messages that supposedly came from the IOC appeared on Telegram and other platforms.
Recently, the tone between the IOC and Russia had become even more tense. After the war of aggression began in Ukraine, Russian athletes were initially excluded from international competitions. Athletes from Russia are only allowed to take part in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer under a neutral flag. They are excluded from the athletes’ parade at the opening ceremony.