Instead of the traditional terracotta-coloured athletics track, the one at the Paris Olympics will feature two new shades of purple, one for the competition areas and another for the technical areas.
The two shades of purple will allow for maximum contrast on television, highlighting the athletes, explained former decathlete Alain Blondel, head of athletics and para-athletics at the Paris Olympics.
Images appearing to show the French capital decorated in purple have circulated in similar Facebook posts here and here.
AI Generated Images
A keyword search on Xiaohongshu using the watermark visible on the images revealed that they match images from a June 27, 2024 post by user “Muse_note” (archived link).
The caption states that the images show Paris before the Olympics, but includes the following statement: “Created with AI.”
AFP has previously denied AI-generated images appearing to show a McDonald’s restaurant inside the Egyptian pyramids, created by the same user and then circulated online as real photos.
Below are comparative screenshots of the images in the fake message (left) and shared on Xiaohongshu (right):
The user responded to comments on the post questioning whether the images were real, saying, “It’s AI.”
Visual elements in the images also indicate that they were made with AI, such as a women’s baseball cap with two visors and uneven lines blurring across the “race track.”
Additionally, the AI-generated images feature buildings and structures that don’t match Google Earth satellite images of the city, such as a wall and a building with two spires. The curve of the river bank is also not accurate.
AFP has verified other misinformation about the Paris Olympics here.
