Olympic Games Organizing Committee: "It was not our intention to show disrespect to any religious group." (video)

The organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics explained the “Celebration” scene at the opening of the Olympic Games to outraged representatives of Christian denominations.

Organisers have apologised to those who may have been offended by a segment of the opening ceremony that many saw as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's “The Last Supper”, which depicts Jesus Christ and his apostles. Organising committee spokeswoman Anne Descamps said on Sunday that the opening ceremony was intended to be “a celebration of tolerance in society”:

“Based on the feedback from the audience, that goal was achieved. If anyone was offended, we are, of course, very sorry. It was not our intention to show disrespect to any religious group.”

The ceremony, which took place in Paris on Friday, contrary to tradition, was not held in a stadium, but in the central part of the city: it was centered around the Seine River, along which ships and boats with athletes passed. Numerous singers, dancers and other artists performed on buildings adjacent to the Seine, tells Air Force.

In one segment of the show, several drag queens (the name given to male performers who dress in women's clothing and wear garish makeup) performed a scene that many saw as a reference to The Last Supper, a biblical episode depicted in a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. It also featured a half-naked singer dressed as the Greek god Dionysus.

Some other commentators believe that the scene could be a reference to another work of art: the 17th-century painting by Jan van Bijlert, The Feast of the Gods, which depicts a scene from Greek mythology and is housed in a Paris museum. This version was indirectly confirmed by Thomas Joly, the opening ceremony's artistic director. He told BFMTV that it was not The Last Supper that was meant, but a scene with pagan gods on Olympus:

“In my work you will never find a desire to humiliate anyone or anything.”

Catholic bishops in France and Germany criticized the “Celebration” for “ridiculing and mocking Christianity.” Conservative and far-right politicians in France also criticized the ceremony. In particular, Senator Valérie Boyer from the Republican party complained about “a vision of our history aimed at ridiculing Christians.”

The ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said on July 27 that he did not want to “provoke, mock or shock” anyone with his show: “Above all, I wanted to convey a message of love, not division.”

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