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Chinese outrage + drama at 2024 Paris Olympics fact checked!

Are the Chinese warranted in their outrage and constant drama at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Should the Chinese be outraged at 2024 Paris Olympics?!

Many Chinese citizens and netizens worldwide are outraged at what they believe were genuine insults and examples of Sinophobia and blatant racism at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Chinese swimmers, in particular, were under heavy scrutiny and testing, which many Chinese netizens felt were excessive, while other people felt were justified. After all, 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Olympics, and some of them later tested positive for clenbuterol.

In this article, we will go through the viral claims and videos, and find out if their outrage and constant drama at the 2024 Paris Olympics are warranted, or not.

Chinese outrage + drama at 2024 Paris Olympics fact checked!

Claim : Kyle Chalmers + Jack Alexey disrespected Pan Zhanle
Verdict : Unlikely

Right after he smashed the men’s 100m freestyle world record, Pan Zhanle told Chinese media outlet CCTV (China Central Television) that he was motivated to beat Chalmers and Alexy after they disrespected him:

Unfortunately, no one else could verify Pan’s claims. Not even the Chinese coaches spoke up about the “grave insult” of being splashed by Jack Alexy while standing at the pool side. There is also the inconvenient fact that people standing by the pool side, can and do, get splashed whenever a swimmer does a flip turn…

On top of that, Kyle Chalmers was seen congratulating Pan Zhanle for winning the gold medal, after beating him by a full second. Chalmers even defended Pan against doping concerns. You can read more about this drama in our earlier fact check article.

Claim : Western media tried to give Pan Zhanle drugged water
Verdict : False

Chinese netizens are sharing a Douyin video, or its screenshot, which claims that a “Western media person” tried to sabotage Pan Zhanle by offering him water containing drugs after he won the gold medal. That is a completely fabricated story.

If that actually happened, it would have been reported widely and investigated as a crime. It would also have been severely criticised by China, and the Chinese media outlets.

However, there has been no official complaint, and neither Pan Zhanle nor the Chinese Olympics contingent ever claimed that there was an attempt to sabotage his win by giving him water containing drugs. There was also no report of such a crime by the IOC, the French police, or the mainstream media.

You can read more about this ridiculous claim in our fact check article.

Claim : Leon Marchand refused to shake hands with Chinese coach
Verdict : Just a misunderstanding

This video has gone viral on social media, with many netizens (not just Chinese) criticising French swimmer Leon Marchand for refusing to shake the hand of Chinese swimming coach, Zhu Zhigen.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Leon-Marchand-ignores-Chinese-coach-handshake-video.mp4?_=1

According to Beijing Youth Daily reporter, Song Xiang (source), Leon Marchand apologised to the Chinese swimming team. He explained that he wasn’t fully paying attention, and thought that Coach Zhu Zhigen was just helping him with the rope. He didn’t realise that the coach was offering a handshake, as he was bending down to slip under the retractable stanchion.

According to Chinese journalist Li Jingling (archive), Leon Marchand apologised twice to the Chinese swimming team, and personally apologised to Zhu Zhigen, saying that he didn’t mean to neglect the coach. Both men hugged and exchanged gifts. So it appears that, while Leon Marchand did indeed ignore the Chinese coach’s handshake as seen in the viral video, it was just a misunderstanding.

Claim : British women divers refused to acknowledge Chinese rivals
Verdict : False

This video clip has gone viral on Chinese social media, and in certain Chinese diaspora groups, claiming to show how British women divers discriminate against their Chinese rivals, by ignoring them and hugging the North Korean women instead.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/British-divers-refused-to-hug-Chinese-divers-video.mp4?_=2

The truth is the Chinese and British divers had already finished their dives earlier, and were waiting for the North Korean women to finish theirs. Any congratulations (or hugs) between the British and Chinese women would have happened before the North Korean women dived.

After the North Korean women finished their dives, the results were announced – they won the silver medal – their country’s first diving medal ever. That was why the British women went over to hug them. It was a historic moment.

Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the full, unedited video, so I cannot “prove” that the British women divers did not “diss” the Chinese women divers. However, I can prove that there is no animosity between the British and Chinese women divers. In fact, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Quan Hongchan have a history of hugging each other!

It appears that, being petite, Quan Hongchan enjoys hugging and being carried like that. That could explain why she had her partner, Chen Yuxi, hug her the same way in that viral video. In fact, Chen Yuxi actually continued hugging her and carrying her out of the pool area!

You can read more about this ridiculous claim in our fact check article.

Claim : Western reporter intentionally knocked into Chinese athlete
Verdict : False

This video has also gone viral, with people claiming that it shows a Western reporter intentionally bumping Chinese table tennis champion Wang Chuqin in a racist attack.

The foreign reporter deliberately bumped into our athletes. Look at the reporter’s face. He deliberately bumped into Wang Chuqin. Do you know how difficult it is for our athletes now? This is the racism in the bones of Westerners.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Western-reporter-knocking-into-Chinese-athlete-video-small.mp4?_=3

The woman was not a reporter. She was a Swedish photographer, which can be confirmed by her grey vest that says “PHOTO 1717”. She can also be seen lugging two large and heavy cameras – one with a long monopod attached, and the other held up to her face.

Two different videos with alternate angles show that the female photographer was swerving to avoid two men coming from the front. They also show that she was looking through the viewfinder of her camera, which was pointed to the left, when she bumped into Chinese table tennis star, Wang Chuqin.

The videos also showed that the photographer was startled when she bumped into Wang Chuqin, and quickly said “Oh, sorry” before swerving away and continuing on her way. Clearly, it was all just an accident, and it was not a racist attack on a Chinese athlete by a Western reporter.

You can read more about this ridiculous claim in our fact check article.

I will keep adding more cases as they appear. For certain, there will be more to come, as it looks like the 2024 Paris Olympics is turning into a circus of drama surrounding Chinese athletes!

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Did Alexy + Chalmers disrespect Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics?!

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Did Pan Zhanle win his gold medal because Kyle Chalmers and Jack Alexy disrespected him at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Jack Alexy + Kyle Chalmers disrespected Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!

On the first day, after the 4×100 free relay, I went to say hi to Kyle [Chalmers] and he ignored me

Including [Jack] Alexy from the American team – while we were training, [Jack] Alexy splashed our coaches on the side of the pool with water while he was doing a flip turn.

I felt that they looked down upon us, can I say this? And today I finally beat them all.

Pan Zhanle’s accusations triggered great indignation amongst Chinese netizens, and no amount of glee that the young Chinese star swimmer beat the two Westerners who disrespected him. That’s a great tale of sweet revenge for the people in China, but is there any actual evidence to back his claims?

No evidence Jack Alexy / Kyle Chalmers disrespected Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!

Let’s dissect Pan Zhanle’s claims about Jack Alexy and Kyle Chalmers disrespecting him, and see where the facts stand…

Fact #1 : No one else saw Jack Alexy splash Chinese coaches

According to Pan Zhanle, Jack Alexy appeared to “deliberately” splash water on the Chinese coaches while he was doing a flip turn.

As anyone who has watched relay swimming can tell you – people standing next to the touchpad are likely to get splashed whenever a swimmer does a flip turn. But how does any swimmer “deliberately” target who they splash when they do the flip turn???

For his part, Jack Alexy was surprised by Pan’s allegations, and pointed out that doing turns was a normal part of training:

I can honestly tell you I don’t know when that happened. Doing turns is part of anyone’s work process. When I heard that, I was pretty surprised.

Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn’t. No one else could confirm or verify Pan’s account. Not even the Chinese coaches, who were allegedly splashed by Alexy, spoke up about the “grave insult” of being splashed while standing at the pool side.

Perhaps those Chinese coaches understood that getting splashed with water is, literally, an occupational “hazard” of all swimming coaches…

Fact #2 : Kyle Chalmers congratulated Pan Zhanle earlier

It is more clear-cut when it comes to Kyle Chalmers though, because he actually had good memories of Pan before being accused of being disrespectful:

I find it a bit weird, I gave him a fist pump before the relays. And then my focus went to my teammates and my own racing. We had a laugh together at warm down last night, but no issues from my end.

But here’s the clincher. Just before Pan Zhanle made those claims in the CCTV interview, Kyle Chalmers actually congratulated him on winning the gold medal and beating him by a full second – okay, 1.08 seconds to be exact!

Does that look like Kyle Chalmers was disrespecting Pan Zhanle with that hand shake? More so when Chalmers actually spoke up two days earlier about how Pan idolised him:

Pan, the Chinese boy, straight before we walked out said: ‘You’re my idol and I love, love, love watching you”. So that was kind of crazy.

So Kyle Chambers not only acknowledged Pan Zhanle as a fan, he also congratulated Pan on his win, before being accused of being disrespectful.

Fact #3 : Kyle Chalmers defended Pan Zhanle

On top of that, Kyle Chalmers defended Pan Zhanle, when he was asked whether he thought that the race was fair, in light of recent Chinese doping concerns.

… yeah, I trust that he’s doing everything he possibly can to be there, and [Pan] deserves that gold medal, and I did everything I possibly could to challenge for that gold medal and be on the top podium.

It would beggar belief that Kyle Chalmers would publicly defend Pan Zhanle against doping concerns if he really did not respect the Chinese star swimmer.

Fact #4 : Kyle Chalmers stayed in touch with Pan Zhanle

On Saturday, 3 August – two days after the race, Chalmers said that he had been keeping in touch with Pan Zhanle, and would would be visiting Pan in Shanghai later this year.

We’ve exchanged messages, which has been really nice. I’m supposed to be going to the world cup series and the first leg is in Shanghai. He’s looking forward to having me there and wanted to show me around, so that makes me a lot more excited about going.

He also explained again that he never disrespected the young Chinese swimmer, and could not understand what the drama was all about.

I don’t think there was any animosity. From my point of view, I spoke to him in the marshalling room before the race, after the race went straight over and shook his hand in the pool, on the podium shook his hand and then had a great conversation before we started our cool-down.

All of our conversations we’ve ever had has been positive, from world championships last year through to this year. From my point of view it’s fine. I can’t really comprehend why this is happening.

Regardless of what we may think of Pan’s accusations, Kyle Chalmers have so far, demonstrated great sportsmanship, and shown that he has been a complete gentleman about this whole drama.

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Western media try to drug Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics?!

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Did the Western media try to drug Pan Zhanle after he won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Western media tried to drug Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!

This message has gone viral on WhatsApp and Douyin, claiming that the Western media tried to drug Chinese star swimmer Pan Zhanle after he won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics!

Shameless Angmoh! / circulating on WhatsApp :

Despicable and shameless Western media! PUI!!!

Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle won the gold medal in the men’s 100m freestyle yesterday with a world record-breaking 46.40 seconds, beating his Western opponents. Just after the game, a Western media person enthusiastically offered Pan Zhanle water to drink; fortunately, Pan Zhanle’s coach found it and stopped him in time. Later, the Chinese team detected doping in the water!

What does this mean? This means that if Pan Zhanle accidentally drank the water handed over by the Western media, and was summoned for a urine test later, he would definitely be found to contain doping in his urine! That means Pan Zhanle has no excuses, not only will his gold medal in the final be revoked, he will even face the misfortune of being banned by the International Swimming Federation for a long time!

Think about it, Western media, athletes and those evil leaders, in order to stop China’s progress, are simply unscrupulous to the point of being outrageous! Hateful! Shameful! Hateful!

宥西方媒体热情拿水给潘展乐喝
被潘展乐教练发现后及时阻止
后来在水中检测出兴奋齐这
种卑鄙手段也只有美
硒方国家能做得出来

Translation : Western media enthusiastically offered water to Pan Zhanle to drink. Pan Zhanle’s coach found out and stopped him in time. Later, excitement was detected in the water. Only the United States and other countries can do such despicable means.

Truth : Western media did not try to drug Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!

This is yet another example of fake news circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No one tried to drug Pan Zhanle at 2024 Olympics!

Let me just start by quickly pointing out that no one tried to sabotage Pan Zhanle with a glass or bottle of water containing drugs.

If that actually occurred, it would have been a major scandal. The Chinese contingent and the IOC would have lodged a police report, and launched a major investigation into who did it and why. There would have been extensive coverage all over the world, and in particular, by the Chinese media.

Even Pan Zhanle, who isn’t shy about throwing about controversial claims, never said he was almost drugged by anyone. Neither did the Chinese Olympics team, who would have been furious about such an attempt.

Yet, there has been no coverage by any reputable media outlet, not even in China. Heck, there hasn’t even been any outrage amongst Chinese netizens over this terrible crime. That’s because it never happened. The story was completely fabricated!

Fact #2 : There was no evidence of any attempt to drug Pan Zhanle

The entire event was not only recorded and streamed on live TV, there were thousands of people watching Pan Zhanle win his gold medal, and then receive it on the podium with Kyle Chalmers of Australia and David Popovici of Romania.

If someone actually tried to drug him right after he won his gold medal, it would have been recorded by the many cameras at the Paris La Defense Arena, or witnessed by the Chinese and Olympic officials there. Yet, there is no photo of the Western media member who offered Pan Zhanle the drugged water?

What about the drugged water that Pan Zhanle almost consumed? If it existed, it would have been tested, and the Chinese contingent and IOC made aware of its contents. Yet, there is not even a photo of that glass or bottle of water, never mind an actual test report of its contents!

Fact #3 : Pan Zhanle was tested extensively

The Chinese swimming contingent has come under additional scrutiny at the 2024 Paris Olympics, due to the 2021 doping scandal in which 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) before the Tokyo Olympics.

While the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accept the Chinese explanation that the swimmers ate contaminated food at their hotel, it raised questions of its impartiality and whether Chinese swimmers were competing fairly.

As such, Chinese swimmers like Pan Zhanle were subjected to more stringent testing in Paris. Pan Zhanle pointed out that he took 21 doping tests from May to July, before the Paris Olympics.

I cooperated with all the testing procedures and stayed confident that I am competing fair and clean.

Unlike other Chinese swimmers, he didn’t gripe about the additional tests, saying that he didn’t feel that “there was any difference or influence (on his performance)”.

In other words, it would be quite impossible for Pan Zhanle to suddenly test positive for drugs right after winning his gold medal. It would have been picked up days, weeks, and months earlier.

I should also point out that Pan Zhanle was not part of the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in 2021, before the Tokyo Olympics.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Jamie Cail : Autopsy Confirms Cause Of Death!

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The autopsy of US swimming star Jamie Cail who died suddenly, has confirmed her true cause of death!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Jamie Cail Died Suddenly From COVID-19 Vaccine!

Right after news broke that Jamie Cail died suddenly in the US Virgin Islands at just 42 years old, some people immediately claimed or suggested that the WWE superstar died from the COVID-19 vaccine!

SecretSquirrel : Another Vaccine Death? Police to investigate sudden death of former US swimming sensation Jamie Cail

Diane Adams : it sounds like Jamie Cail Sudden death was the vaccine that she might have took, all of these Vaccines have a rotten side affect, allot of people wind up dead because of all of these vaccines that they have been taking, not a good thing, may Jamie Cail rest in Peace. 😇✝️😇✝️😇💐

liftingabuv : #SuddenDeaths2023 this “novel” #vaccines SAD demographic is increasing. #athletes, mid-life group: Ex-U.S. Swim Champ Jamie Cail Dies Suddenly In Virgin Islands, Police Investigating

Truth : Jamie Cail Did Not Die From COVID-19 Vaccine!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all athlete deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists…

Fact #1 : Jamie Cail Died Unexpectedly At Home

Jamie Cail was a former member of the US swimming team that participated in the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships, and won a gold medal in the 800m free relay event. She also won a silver medal at that 1998-1999 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Brazil.

Shortly after midnight on February 21, 2023, her boyfriend ” left a local bar” to check on Jamie Cail who was at their shared home on the island of St. John. On arrival, he found Jamie Cail was found unresponsive on the floor.

Her boyfriend and a friend took her to the Myrah Keating-Smith Clinic, where doctors indicated that “she was in cardiac arrest” and performed CPR on her. However, Jamie Cail could not be revived, and passed away in the early hours.

The Virgin Islands Police Department was informed of her death-on-arrival, and an autopsy was performed to determine her cause of death.

Fact #2 : Jamie Cail’s Cause Of Death Was Fentanyl Poisoning

On August 27, 2023, the Virgin Islands Police Department announced the official cause of death for Jamie Cail, after the US Virgin Islands Office of Medical Examiner released its autopsy report on August 22.

According to the Medical Examiner’s autopsy report, Jamie Cail’s official cause of death was “fentanyl intoxication with aspiration of gastric content“.

The Virgin Islands Criminal Investigation Bureau said that the overdose was “accidental“, but did not say if it was investigating the source of the fentanyl that led to Jamie Cail’s death.

However, the United States has been hit by an epidemic of death from drug overdoses involving fentanyl. The US recorded more than 100,000 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, most of which were caused by fentanyl.

Needless to say – the autopsy report completely debunks the claims that Jamie Cail died from the COVID-19 vaccine.

Fact #3 : Unknown If Jamie Cail Was Vaccinated

Despite claims that Jamie Cail was fully-vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that she ever received the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is possible that Jamie Cail was unvaccinated against COVID-19. After all, the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United States.

In fact, many people who were injured or died suddenly were actually unvaccinated, like Kris Jordan, Aaron Carter, Kirstie Alley, Stephan Bonnar, Shane Macaulay, David Wayne Burleson, and Kaden Clymer.

Until and unless her family reveals her COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Jamie Cail was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us know that.

Fact #4 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Jamie Cail was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, she would have received her doses over two years ago!

She cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.

Fact #5 : Claims Of COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries Often Proven False

Most claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false. Here is the latest dozen of other false sudden death claims!

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next death or tragedy…

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Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Olympic Swimmer Helen Smart Die From Vaccine SADS?!

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Did former Olympic swimmer Helen Smart die suddenly in her sleep from COVID-19 vaccine SADS?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Helen Smart Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

Right after news broke that Helen Smart died suddenly in her sleep, some people immediately claimed or suggested that the former Olympic swimmer died from COVID-19 vaccine Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS)!

The People’s Voice : Healthy Olympic Swimmer ‘Dies Suddenly’ Following Booster Shot

Died Suddenly : Olympic swimmer Helen Smart Dies Suddenly at age 43: ‘Can’t comprehend’

Her grieving husband, Craig Smart, took to the school’s Facebook page to pay tribute to his beloved wife.

William Makis MD : BREAKING NEWS: Olympic swimmer Helen Smart, age 43 (working as teacher in Wigan, UK) died suddenly in her sleep on Aug.12, 2023!

Was found dead by her 4 yo daughter: “Daddy, I can’t wake mummy up” She had gone paddle boarding hours before death #DiedSuddenly #cdnpoli #ableg

Expose Them : Former Olympic swimmer Helen Smart (formerly Don-Duncan) died suddenly at the age of 42. She was the head teacher at Worsley Mesnes Primary School. In 2022 the school promoted covid vaccination for children 5 and up.

No Evidence Helen Smart Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists…

Fact #1 : Helen Smart Died Suddenly In Her Sleep

Helen Smart (born Helen Don-Duncan on 9 June 1981) was an English competitive backstroke swimmer, who represented England in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and Great Britain in the 2000 Olympics Games in Sydney.

She retired from competitive swimming after the 2000 Sydney Olympics – 23 years ago, and began a career in teaching. She eventually became the headteacher of Worsley Mesnes Community Primary School in Wigan.

On Friday, 11 August 2023, the former Olympian and her brother, Robert, drove both their families and their parents to Cumbria, to celebrate Robert’s 40th birthday.

Their extended family stayed at a large cottage at the banks of Lake Coniston, where Helen went paddle boarding that evening. Hours later, she went to bed at midnight, saying that she was tired.

At around 4 AM in the morning, Helen’s 4 year-old daughter, Heidi woke up and tried to get in bed with her. That was when Helen was found unresponsive. Her mother, Linda, detailed what happened to Mailonline:

We are just in so much shock. You jump from believing it to not believing it. She had been paddle boarding a few hours before and had never even been ill apart from her knees swelling from swimming.

We’re distraught. They don’t know what it is but they think it must have happened shortly after she went to bed. She just died in her sleep.

At midnight, she went to bed telling me: ‘I’ll go to bed now mum as I know I’ll be woken at 6am by Heidi. I just want to get some sleep in as I’ve had a long day.

Heidi had woken up in the night and tried to get into bed with her. She said to her daddy: ”Mummy won’t wake up’. He said: ”Oh she must be very tired Heidi – you go back to bed.”

He put the torch on and he said later that when he looked he could tell. Robert woke us up at 4am and said: ‘Mum, dad you need to keep up – we think Helen’s died. We just ran up and followed up and there she was in bed

I touched her foot and she was cold. I walked round and to the side of her and she looked asleep but you could tell she was gone. I just said: ”Why couldn’t it have been me.” I would have happily swapped places with her. That’s not the way round it should have been. I just thought, no no.

Fact #2 : Helen Smart’s Cause Of Death Is Still Unknown

It is still unknown HOW or WHY Helen Smart died in her sleep. Her family has not publicly mentioned her cause of death. Even when her husband, Craig Smart, released a statement, he did not mention that her cause of death:

She loved the school, staff, children and parents so much. She was so proud to reach her goal of being headteacher.

She used to say to me all the time she could never see herself at another school. She was Worsley Mesnes through and through!

I remember only last week she said her goal was to get the school to outstanding and that she had the right staff to achieve this.

I hope you all keep learning like champions. Please learn from this and live your best life, no regrets.

Take lots of photos, make memories and keep smiling just like Helen always did! Love to you all!

It is unknown if an autopsy has been conducted, but until and unless her family or the coroner reveals her official cause of death, anyone who claims that Helen Smart / Helen Don-Duncan died from this or that cause is likely lying to you.

Fact #3 : Helen Smart Was Well Before Her Death

Anti-vaccination activists are suggesting that Helen Smart “died suddenly” from vaccine SADS or some vaccine injury, because she was perfectly healthy and well before her sudden death.

As I pointed out earlier – Helen Smart was paddle boarding just hours before her death. That suggests that she was healthy, and not suffering from myocarditis / pericarditis that is often blamed on mRNA vaccines, or any “vaccine injury” for the matter.

Just because she was not ill earlier, does not mean she died from a COVID-19 vaccine side effect. There are many causes of sudden death during sleep – stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, heart disease, etc.

Until and unless an autopsy is conducted, and her official cause of death is known, we simply do not know why Helen Smart died suddenly in her sleep, much less blame her death on COVID-19 vaccines.

Fact #4 : No Evidence COVID-19 Vaccines Cause SADS

After billions of doses were administered worldwide over the last 2.5 years, there is still no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).

In fact, this is a rather ludicrous claim as SADS was first documented in 1977 – long before COVID-19 vaccines were invented!

SADS also occurs at a rate of 0.12 to 0.21 per 100,000 people every single year. In other words, approximately 9,000 to 16,000 people die from SADS every single year, before the COVID-19 vaccines were invented.

Despite what anti-vaccination activists may tell you – SADS is not a new vaccine-related syndrome.

SADS is usually caused by an abnormal heart rhythm that leads to a cardiac arrest. That’s why it can be prevented by implanting a cardioverter-defribillator.

Fact #5 : Unknown If Helen Smart Was Vaccinated

Despite claims that Helen Smart was fully-vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that she ever received the COVID-19 vaccine. Her COVID-19 vaccination status has never been made public.

Even though The People’s Voice (formerly known as NewsPunch) declared in its title that Helen Smart died suddenly “following booster shot”, there is no evidence she received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose recently, or even at all.

It is possible that Helen Smart was unvaccinated against COVID-19. After all, the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United Kingdom.

Until and unless her family reveals her COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Helen Smart was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us have any evidence of that.

Fact #6 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Helen Smart was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, she would have received her doses more than a year ago! She cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Fact #7 : Claims Of COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries Often Proven False

Most claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false. Here is the latest dozen of other false sudden death claims!

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next death or tragedy…

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Does Steaming Food Cause Cancer From Chlorine?!

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Can you get cancer from chlorine if you steam your food?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Steaming Food Can Cause Cancer From Chlorine!

This advice by a Chinese professor keeps going viral on WhatsApp, and social media platforms:

Please be sure to forward:

Steam food with water
Beijing Xuanwu Hospital Professor Qi’s article:

When steaming food, please be sure to open the lid to boil the water before adding the food to be steamed covered! No wonder more and more people have cancer.

When cooking food with the pot, we must use boiled water. Because if we directly use tap water, which has chlorine, and after heating due to the lid been covered, the chlorine is completely coated on the food. So be sure to use boiled water or filtered water without chlorine to steam thing.

Because chlorine is carcinogenic. This is really important! Even if only steaming buns, we must have this common knowledge.

Please share this info to more people. I hope all my friends are healthy.

請一定要轉發：

用開水蒸東西，北京宣武醫院齊教授的文章：蒸食物請一定要先開著蓋子把水燒開，再放入要蒸的食物，蓋上蓋子！難怪患癌症的人愈來愈多。用鍋蒸煮東西時，一定要用開水。因為如果直接用自來水，自來水有氯，再經過加熱後，由於鍋蓋是蓋著的，氯被全部包覆在食物上，所以一定要用煮沸過的開水或用已過濾掉氯的水來蒸東西。因為氯有致癌的危險。這真的很重要！即使只是蒸饅頭，都要有此常識。不要自私，讓更多的人看到。這個以前真不知道，以後得記住了。希望所有朋友都健健康康，贈人玫瑰手有餘香

No Evidence Steaming Food Can Cause Cancer From Chlorine!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Chlorine Gas In Tap Water

First, I should point out that tap water does not actually contain chlorine gas. Chlorine gas may be used to disinfect tap water, but it is quickly transformed into other chemicals that actually disinfect the water – hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite anion.

The common usage of chlorine (or free chlorine) in tap water really refers to these chemical compounds, and not chlorine gas itself. There is certainly no chlorine gas inside tap water.

Fact #2 : Regulated Tap Water Has Low Levels Of Chlorine

Tap water in most countries only has low levels of chlorine – between 0.2 to 1 mg per litre, although it may go as high as 4 mg per litre – four parts per million.

Fact #3 : Water With Too Much Chlorine Is Undrinkable

In places where the levels of chlorine in the tap water is poorly regulated, it may be possible for the tap water to have too high levels of chlorine – anything above 4 mg per litre – four parts per million.

Even if you do not have professional testing on hand, you can look out for signs of too much chlorine in the water:

the water smells or tastes like swimming pool water
you experience nausea, diarrhoea, or vomiting after drinking the water

I should point out that swimming pools have an upper limit of 5 mg per litre – five parts per million, while spas can go as high as 10 mg per litre. You can taste the chlorine in the water, but even then, it is not dangerous to accidentally swallow some of the water, although it is distasteful.

Fact #4 : Chlorine Evaporates Naturally From Tap Water

What people may not realise is that chlorine is volatile and evaporates naturally from tap water over a day or so.

If you leave a glass of tap water in the open, it should be pretty much chlorine-free after a day or so.

Fact #5 : Chlorine In Tap Water Evaporates When Heated

The vapour pressure of chlorine is much lower than that of water, so it will evaporate by the time your tap water starts boiling.

The evaporated chlorine “escapes” with the steam, and doesn’t coat your food as claimed, because… its vapour pressure is lower than that of water!

So the risk of getting cancer from chlorine is lower, if not eradicated, by steaming or boiling tap water.

Fact #6 : Only Certain Water Filters Can Remove Free Chlorine

The typical particle filters will not remove free chlorine. Only water filters using reverse osmosis and/or active carbon filters can remove free chlorine from tap water.

So the advice to just use filtered water is not accurate, as the filtered water will likely still contain chlorine (unless it uses reverse osmosis / carbon filtration)

Fact #7 : Carcinogenicity Of Chlorine Has Not Been Determined

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not classified chlorine regarding its human carcinogenicity.

That’s likely because chlorine is an irritant, and it is unlikely for humans to willingly consume large amounts of it.

Fact #8 : Trihalomethanes Are The Real Risk, Not Chlorine

Chlorine may react with organic matter in the water to produce compounds like trihalomethanes, such as chloroform, dibromochloromethane (DBCM), bromodichloromethane (BDCM), and Bromoform.

These trihalomethane compounds are potential human carcinogens. These are the compounds that pose a potential health risk, and not the free chlorine in tap water itself.

However, the level of trihalomethane compounds in well-regulated tap water is very low, so the real risk occurs when there is poor regulation of tap water.

Yan Zonghai, Director of the Clinical Toxicology Department of Chang Gung Hospital in Linkou, said that the public is worried that after chlorine disinfection in tap water, there may be residual “trihalomethanes”, which are volatile organic compounds with low boiling points. Long-term exposure in large quantities may cause cancer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists trihalomethanes as a confirmed carcinogenic risk in animals, but there is no relevant evidence for human cancer. Yan Zonghai emphasized that the limit value of chlorination and disinfection of tap water is checked, and the possible production of trihalomethanes is very small, so the public should not worry.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did UA Swimmer Ty Wells Die Of Vaccine / Accident?!

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Did University of Arizona swimmer Ty Wells die suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine SADS, or a motorcycle accident?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : UA Swimmer Ty Wells Died From Vaccine / Accident!

Right after news broke that Ty Wells died suddenly and unexpectedly, people immediately claimed that the University of Arizona swim team member died from the COVID-19 vaccine SADS… or a motorcycle accident!

BREAKING — Ty Wells, 23, University Of Arizona Swim Team Member, Dies Suddenly
all these deaths is normal! said Pfizer

Another SADS – as usual no cause of death given to young athlete.

@uarizona we all know why Ty Wells passed away. From the mandates that colleges put on students

No Evidence Ty Wells Died From Vaccine OR Motorcycle Accident!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all athlete deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

And “death blogs” quickly jump onto the craze by quickly creating obituaries or articles that wrongly attribute the cause of death of these athletes or celebrities.

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists / “death blogs”, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Ty Wells Death Circumstances + Cause Still Unknown

Ty Wells was a native of Ripon, California, and a 2021-2022 CSCAA Scholar All-American who competed in the 2022 US Open Championships.

He was a four-year member of the University of Arizona’s men swim team, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences & Physiology in May 2022, with plans to pursue a career in physical therapy or sports medicine.

Ty Wells sadly passed away on Friday morning, January 27, 2023. However, the circumstances and cause of Ty Wells’ death is still currently unknown.

His school confirmed the news on Instagram on Monday evening, January 30, but did not mention a cause of death. A GoFundMe was set up for his family, but also did not mention a cause of death.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of recent alum Ty Wells, who passed away on Friday.

Our heartfelt condolences are with his family, his friends and the entire @arizonaswimdive family.

His home club, Ripon Aquatics, emailed its team on Monday about his death, but also did not mention a cause of death.

As many of you may have heard by now, our team family lost a beloved friend with the passing of Ty Wells on Friday morning.

It is impossible to articulate in a short letter the impact Ty Wells had on our community. I trust as we grieve, celebrate, and remember Ty, he will be properly honored.

Over the past few days, I’ve heard him described as an “angel on earth,” “the brightest smile in the room,” “the warmest hug I’ve ever been given,” and “the best version of all of us.” For me…I have seen few people love so fiercely, consistently, and unapologetically the way Ty did as a friend, brother, son, and teammate.

Until and unless his family reveals his cause of death, it would be wrong for anyone to claim that Ty Wells died from COVID-19 vaccine SADS, or a motorcycle accident.

He could have died from any number of reasons – stroke, cardiac arrest, heart attack, suicide, accidents, cancer, etc.

Fact #2 : Ty Wells Cause Of Death Is Being Investigated

The Arizona Medical Examiner is currently working to determine the cause of death for Ty Wells.

Until his autopsy is completed, and the results announced, it would be wrong for anyone to claim that Ty Wells died from COVID-19 vaccine SADS, or any other cause of death!

Fact #3 : Motorcycle Accident Involved A Different Ty Wells

“Death blogs” that claim that Ty Wells died from a motorcycle accident have apparently scraped that information from an April 2022 GoFundMe page of a different Ty Wells.

While they both share the same name, this Ty Wells hails from Los Angeles, not Ripon. Not only did the motorcycle accident happen in April 2020 – almost 9 months earlier, the other Ty Wells did not die from his motorcycle accident.

We are raising money for Ty in this time of tragic circumstance. All money from this fund will directly support the cost of current and future medical bills, living expenses, accessibility resources, and whatever else Ty may need on the road to recovery. Please donate if you are able.

On April 3, 2022 our Ty Wells endured a motorcycle accident that has put them in the hospital. Ty is currently being treated at LAC+USC.

Please keep them in your thoughts and send all the strength and good energy.

This page has been created with the blessing of the family. We will keep this page up to date on the status of Ty’s recovery.

One “death blog” called obituary-funeral.com even had the temerity to misuse the infamous photo of Tyre Nichols lying in the hospital bed as a photo of Ty Wells. Tyre Nichols was the young father who was beaten to death in Memphis by five police officers.

Another “death blog” called fhobitsmemorial.com claimed that Ty Wells died in a motorcycle accident. However, the obituary they posted referred to a Ty Wells from Tucson, Arizona.

Fact #4 : University Of Arizona Never Had A Vaccine Mandate

Some of those who blame the COVID-19 vaccine for Ty Wells’ death claim that the University of Arizona has a vaccine mandate, that is not true. The University of Arizona never mandated the COVID-19 vaccine, not even in 2021-2022.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and our best shot at getting back to normal.

Anyone 12 years and older can get vaccinated. The University is not requiring that students get vaccinated. However, the University strongly encourages vaccination to protect yourself and the community.

Fact #5 : Unknown If Ty Wells Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

It is unknown if Ty Wells was ever vaccinated against COVID-19, so it would be wrong for anyone to claim that he died from COVID-19 vaccine side effects.

For all we know – he may not even be vaccinated! There is no vaccine mandate at the University of Arizona, and the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United States, despite what anti-vaccination activists may claim.

For example, anti-vaccination activists claimed that Kaden Clymer was almost crippled by a 6-foot long vaccine-induced blood clot, but the high school athlete was never vaccinated against COVID-19!

Unless his family reveals his vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Ty Wells was fully-vaccinated and died from the vaccine is likely lying to you.

Fact #6 : Claims Of Athletes Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False

So far, claims of athlete deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance. Here is the latest dozen cases I fact checked recently.

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next athlete tragedy…

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Swimming, Golf, Badminton Allowed For Fully-Vaccinated!

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Fully-vaccinated people in Malaysia can now go swimming, play golf and badminton, amongst other things!

Here is what you need to know!

Swimming, Golf, Badminton Allowed For Fully-Vaccinated!

From 20 August 2021 onwards, fully-vaccinated people in Malaysia are given more sports and recreational privileges.

Who Qualifies For These Privileges?

Only those who are fully-vaccinated according to these requirements can participate in these sports and recreational privileges :

More than 14 days after receiving both doses of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccine.
More than 28 days after receiving a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson or Cansino vaccine.

Children are currently not being vaccinated. So parents who are fully-vaccinated are ALLOWED to bring their children who are 17 years or younger to participate in these activities as well.

Sports + Recreational Privileges

Sports and recreational premises and facilities are ALLOWED to open, subject to these restrictions :

only open from 6 AM until 8 PM,
RESTRICTED to only fully-vaccinated individuals, and their children who are 17 years or younger,
60% capacity limit, under supervision,
workforce limited to 60%, including management and operations staff, and
subject to any rules and restrictions stipulated by local authorities.

New sports and recreational activities that are now open to fully-vaccinated people include :

all individual sports or recreational activities that do not require physical touch, with physical distance of 2-3 metres
swimming,
equestrian sports,
shooting,
tennis / badminton (single),
golf,
motorsports and so on.

In addition, fully-vaccinated people are ALLOWED to dine-in at the club house restaurant or cafe.

Sports + Recreational Restrictions

There are a few restrictions though :

It is FORBIDDEN to use the changing room, or shower room, at these sports and recreational facilities.
You are RESTRICTED to the same district.

Should You Go Swimming Or Play Golf / Badminton?

Frankly speaking, this isn’t a good time to be going out for a swim, or to play golf or badminton, as community spread of COVID-19 is rampant with over 20K new cases reported every day!

However, if you really must, here are some steps to mitigate your risks :

if possible, condos should not allow strangers to share the pool at the same time.
if possible, book the entire swimming pool for your family so there are no strangers present at the same time
try not to bring your unvaccinated children for a swim, unless you can book the entire pool
try to play golf alone or with family members who are already living with you, instead of with friends
try to play golf without a caddy to help you
try to play tennis or badminton with a family member who is already living with you, rather than a friend
never use the shower room or changing room

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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