Claim: The technician responsible for the lighting failure during the opening ceremonies at Sochi was found dead.
Example: [Collected via e-mail, August 2013]
Man Killed For Olympic Ring Fail At Sochi Opening Ceremony? Reports of Dead Technical Specialist Hit Social Media But Is The Story True?
Origins: On 8 February 2014, the Daily Currant published an article about technical difficulties during the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia:
According to local reports the body of T. Borris Avdeyev was found his hotel room early this morning with multiple stab wounds. Avdeyev was a technical specialist responsible for the Olympic Ring spectacle, which embarrassingly malfunctioned last night. Five animatronic snowflakes were supposed to transform into Olympic Rings. The first four functioned properly but the fifth snowflake failed to change shape. Although his body was badly mangled and the wounds were consistent with a struggle, so far officials say they don't suspect foul play.
The man responsible for operating the Olympic Rings during last night's Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Russia was found dead today.
By later that same day links and excerpts referencing this article were being circulated via social media, with many of those who encountered it mistaking it for a genuine news article. However, this article was just a bit of humor written as a spoof: as noted in the Daily Currant's "About" page, that web site deals strictly in satire:
Q. Are your news stories real? A. No. Our stories are purely fictional. However they are meant to address real-world issues through satire and often refer and link to real events happening in the world
The Daily Currant is an English language online satirical newspaper that covers global politics, business, technology, entertainment, science, health and media.
Last updated: 8 February 2014