The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris received a lot of flak on social media.
Totaling more than four hours in length, the monotonous procession was largely uneventful. However, one section of the ceremony was deemed insulting to many Christians.
Event organizers opted to include a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous “The Last Supper” – the final meal Jesus shared with the Twelve Apostles before his crucifixion.
However, the recreation featured drag queens, transgender models and a naked singer as Dionysus – the Greek god of wine.
Many on social media were outraged by “gratuitous blasphemy”, while Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini described the scene as “sleazy” and insulting.
Organizers later issued an apology for the recreation, adding that they aimed to “trigger a reflection” among spectators.
“We imagined a ceremony to show our values and our principles, so we gave a very committed message,” said Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet. “The idea was to really trigger a reflection. We wanted to have a message as strong as possible.
“Naturally we had to take into account the international community. Having said that – it is a French ceremony for the French games – so we trusted our artistic director. We have freedom of expression in France and we wanted to protect it.”
Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps later claimed that there was “never an intention” to disrespect religious groups.
“If people have taken any offence we are really sorry,” she added.
