A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows the fireworks meant for the Tokyo Olympics being set off because they couldn’t be saved until 2021.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

The footage is actually a digital fireworks simulation that dates back several years.

Fact Check:

Twitter and Facebook users this month shared a video of a large fireworks display over Japan’s Mount Fuji, claiming it shows fireworks meant for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics being set off. The William Tell Overture plays in the background.

“TOKYO 2020 Olympics: Fireworks display under Mt. Fuji,” the caption states. “The fireworks cannot be stored until 2021 so it was set off with Mt. Fuji as the backdrop.” (RELATED: Did The Japanese Movie ‘Akira’ Predict The Coronavirus Outbreak?)

The 2020 Summer Games were scheduled to occur from July 24 to Aug. 9, according to a press release. Olympic and government officials decided to postpone the Tokyo Summer Olympics in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rescheduling them for July 23 to Aug. 8, 2021.

Contrary to the Facebook post’s claim, the video doesn’t show a real-life fireworks demonstration. The footage was posted on YouTube in 2015 with a title identifying it as a digital simulation made using the software FWsim. The software’s website features fireworks simulation videos set in a variety of locations around the world.

While the display in the video isn’t real, fireworks were set off in locations across Japan around 8 p.m. local time on July 24 to mark the one year until the start of the postponed Tokyo Summer Olympics, Kyodo News reported. The displays were organized by the Junior Chamber International Japan, according to The Japan Times.