The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris has been met with backlash over certain performances. One performance that seemed to stand out is the parody of The Last Supper, which has caused the Paris 2024 organizers to defend the performance.
The Paris 2024 Organizers’ Statement
The opening ceremony, which took place on Friday, July 26, 2024, has drawn worldwide condemnation. However, the scene that captured the most attention was a representation of Leonardo da Vinci’s well-known painting of The Last Supper. Additionally, the performance featured a transsexual model, drag queens, and a naked singer resembling Dionysus, the Greek god.
The depiction of the significant Christian event has caused backlash from American and world leaders, Christian groups, and athletes. On Sunday, July 28, 2024, the media representative for Paris 2024, Anne Descamps, came out to address the situation and defend the organizers. Descamps said, “Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. The opening ceremony tried to celebrate community tolerance. We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”
A Statement from the Paris LGBT Organization
In response to the outrage, a leader in the French LGBT community, James Leperlier, said that the ceremony didn’t go far enough. Leperlier said, “We know in the LGBTQ community in France we are far from what the ceremony showed. There’s much progress to be made in society regarding transgender people. It’s terrible that to legally change their identity, they are forced to be on trial.” Leperlier is the president of the organization Inter-LGBT.
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Olympics Opening Ceremony Last Supper
The 2024 Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony upset conservatives globally with a contentious Last Supper portrayal involving drug performers. The fashion show featured a modern interpretation of da Vinci’s painting, with Philippe Katerine as Dionysus in blue paint and a flower cover.
However, the performance has caused controversy worldwide as it was the most unusual opening ceremony in history. Some observers have characterized the scene in question as a spoof of “The Last Supper,” with several dancers and drag performers.
Philippe Katerine, a French entertainer who played the Greek wine deity Dionysus and swiftly gained notoriety as the “semi-naked blue guy,” was also a part of the performance and scene in question. As she lay on a table, ostensibly naked and completely covered in sparkly blue paint, Katerine sang a song.
Millions of people worldwide saw his appearance on social media as it went viral. In a CNN interview, Katerine stated that the meaning of his song “Nue,” which translates to “Naked,” is one of peace, drawing inspiration from conflicts like those raging in Gaza and Ukraine.
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Olympics Opening Ceremony 2024
The opening ceremony took place on July 26, 2024, at 19:30 CEST. Under the direction of Thomas Jolly, this was the first Summer Olympics opening ceremony to take place outside of the customary stadium setting. Subsequently, athletes paraded in a boat procession along the Seine with cultural performances at various locations.
According to Jolly, the event would honor significant events in French history with a focus on love and “common humanity.” After that, the athletes attended the formal ceremony at the Eiffel Tower’s Jardins du Trocadéro. 326,000 tickets were sold for Seine viewing spots; 222,000 were allocated to low-income families, youth, and volunteers.
Axelle Saint-Cirel sang the French national anthem La Marseillaise atop the Grand Palais. Additionally, rappers Rim’K, Philippe Katerine, Juliette Armanet and Sofiane Pamart, Canadian singer Celine Dion, heavy metal band Gojira, and soprano Marina Viotti also performed at the ceremony. President Emmanuel Macron formally opened the Games.
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Subsequently, Teddy Riner, a Guadeloupean sprinter and judoka, and Marie-José Pérec lighted the Olympic cauldron. Additionally, the cauldron features a hot air balloon-inspired design with a 30-meter (98-foot) helium sphere on top. The cauldron is allowed to float above the Tuileries Garden at night.
2024 Summer Olympics
Formally referred to as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, Paris 2024 is the host city for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olympics are being held in France, and they are set to start on July 24, 2024, and end on August 11, 2024. Additionally, the opening ceremony for the Olympics took place on Friday, July 26, 2024.
Sixteen other locations in Metropolitan France and one subsite in Tahiti, French Polynesia, will host events in addition to the main event, which will take place in Paris. Paris won the Games at the 131st IOC Session on September 13, 2017, in Lima, Peru.
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