Olympic Games Criticised for Controversial Drag Opening Ceremony

The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony stirred up global ‘side eyes’ following a drag performance that critics argue disrespected Christian sensibilities. The performance included a segment that imitated Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ with drag performers dressed provocatively.

Catholic leaders, including representatives from the Vatican and French bishops, condemned it as “derisive” and disrespectful to Christianity. Bishop Emmanuel Gobillard, a spokesperson representing the Holy See for the 2024 Paris Olympics, told NBC News, “The fact that our religion should be mocked is usual, and we are used to blasphemy in France, but the context isn’t the same. In an event that brings together all or part of the population, I found this staging hurtful and out of place.”

After receiving global backlash, the Paris 2024 Olympics Committee has issued an apology, emphasising that the intention was to celebrate diversity and inclusion, not to offend. Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for the Committee, asserted that the performance aimed to promote community tolerance, though she acknowledged that the execution may have inadvertently caused offense. “We really did try to celebrate community tolerance. Looking at the results of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence, we are, of course, really, really sorry,” Descamps said.

 

 

In an interview with the Associated Press, Thomas Jolly, the artistic director, defended the performance as a tribute to diversity and French culture rather than a deliberate mockery of religious iconography. He said, “My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”

On July 26, the Games’ official X account shared additional images, revealing that the performance was instead inspired by the Feast of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. The statement emphasised that the depiction was meant to highlight the absurdity of violence and celebrate community tolerance.