Egyptian holds Saudi flag in Olympics opening ceremony and people are furious

Published August 6th, 2016 - 07:06 GMT
Members of the Egypt delegation parade during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 2016.
PEDRO UGARTE / AFP
Members of the Egypt delegation parade during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 2016. PEDRO UGARTE / AFP

In what was supposed to be a glorious moment for Egyptians at Rio, cheering for their athletes and feeling pride, soon crashed to the ground. Last night, the opening ceremony for the Olympics 2016 was held in Rio’s Maracana stadium. The night started with colorful celebrations and a heart warming welcome to a team of refugee athletes until the Egyptian team started their walk.

Apparently, social media users noticed Egyptian athlete Hamada Talaat with a Saudi Arabian flag on state TV, and just absolutely lost it. The President of the Olympics Comittee, Hesham Hattab, came to his defense, claiming Talaat noticed the flag on the floor and picked it up so no one steps on the word “Allah” that’s on the flag.

Whatever the situation is, the social media backlash is fierce and this is the time for official statements.

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content