The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday was particularly spectacular, in what was a form of compensation for the previous Olympics in Tokyo, which took place under the COVID-19 restrictions. The five-hour long event was held under the motto of equality, where alongside the history of Olympic sports and of France - it strove to give expression to the multifarious human fabric.
However, some did not find it to their taste.
One part of the ceremony included an homage to Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting The Last Supper, which depicts the last time Jesus dined with his disciples before being crucified by Pontius Pilate. This is of course a founding event in the Christian religion.
During the show, the painting was recreated by a human performance of drag artists, infuriating the global Christian community.
La ceremonia de inauguración de los Juegos Olimpiadas de #Paris2024 es una demostración de la fealdad del mal.Con esta blasfemia se quieren reír de todos los católicos.Ya es hora de dejar la equidistancia; o estás con el Bien y la Belleza o estás con el mal y la decadencia. pic.twitter.com/wRZdaBhhdm
— Universitarios Católicos (@UniCatolicos_es) July 26, 2024
Social media users slam the 'disrespectful move'
Many social media users worldwide, and not only Christians, criticized the move and claimed it was disrespectful, sacrilegious, and expressed contempt for religion. The official X, formerly Twitter, account of the Universitarios Católicos wrote in a post: "Sodom and Gomorrah is televised and watched by tens of millions of people live.
The post further cited, J. R.R. Tolkien, adding, "Evil cannot create anything new, only corrupt or ruin what the forces of good have invented or built."
Sodoma y Gomorra televisado y visto por decenas de millones de personas en directo.«El mal no puede crear nada nuevo, solo corromper o arruinar lo que las fuerzas del bien han inventado o construido». J.R.R. Tolkien.#paris2024olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/BdJoTtfPD2
— Universitarios Católicos (@UniCatolicos_es) July 26, 2024
France's European Parliament representative, Marion Maréchal, tweeted during the ceremony, "To all the Christians of the world who are watching the Paris 2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation."
Beyond this event, the opening ceremony included a host of cultural and sports legends. Lady Gaga appeared at the beginning of the ceremony, Snoop Dogg, Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams took part in carrying the torch.
Celine Dion closed the ceremony, making a comeback to the stage, after she stopped performing recently due to a serious illness.