International Olympic Committee denies removing replay of opening ceremony

Contrary to a rumor that was circulating, the IOC did not remove the video of the opening ceremony from YouTube because of the controversy. If the replay is not available in some countries, it is because of broadcasting rights.

“Video not available.” The mention appears on Sunday, July 28, on a YouTube page of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which allows you to rewatch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, two days after the organization of this unprecedented spectacle on the Seine. But if this replay is not accessible, it is not because certain passages of the ceremony, the subject of controversy, were removed by the IOC, as a rumor claims, relayed in particular by West France.

“The IOC has only retained broadcast rights in certain global markets. Specifically, the IOC does not have rights in Europe and the United Kingdom, among others. As a result, images from official Olympic sites and areas are geo-blocked for these markets, which is why the videos cannot be viewed. They have not been removed.”explained the IOC on Sunday, when contacted by France Télévisions.

On Saturday, Christophe Dubi, executive director of the IOC, said that the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics had brought more than just “stone to the building”. “We brought a mountain, it’s not a small stone”, he said at a press conference alongside Tony Estanguet, the head of the organizing committee (Cojo), and the artistic team. Theatre director Thomas Jolly, conductor of the ceremony, said that his “will” was not “not to be subversive and shocking.” “Last night, it was Republican ideas of benevolence and inclusion,” he said, adding that he had been the victim of “harassment” in childhood.