The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games 2024 grabbed eyeballs from world over. Viewers praised it for its grand and unique nature as for the first time in Olympics history the Games were opened outside a stadium - on and along the river Seine to be specific. (Full Olympics Coverage | More Sports News)
However, the grandeur and uniqueness could not impress all as a section of viewers have raised issues with the ceremony. The major bone of contention was the depiction of the iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting 'The Last Supper'.
The segment attracted brickbats from world over with some on the internet even terming it "blasphemy".
What is 'The Last Supper' and why are people enraged over its parody depiction on the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony? How have the organisers reacted to the controversy? Here is all you need to know.
What is 'The Last Supper'?
'The Last Supper' is a 16th century painting from Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci depicting the moment of Jesus Christ's final meal where he declared that an apostle would betray him.
Why depiction of 'The Last Supper' during Paris Olympics opening ceremony?
During Friday's ceremony, a scene was showed resembling the 'The Last Supper' featuring DJ and producer Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — flanked by drag artists and dancers.
The clips of the scene instantly went viral on social media with it evoking a lot of backlash. Christian conservatives not just from Europe but also from other parts of the world slammed the Olympic organisers for hurting their sentiments.
Religious conservatives from around the world decried the segment, with the French Catholic Church's conference of bishops deploring “scenes of derision” that they said made a mockery of Christianity — a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The Anglican Communion in Egypt expressed its “deep regret” Sunday, saying the ceremony could cause the IOC to “lose its distinctive sporting identity and its humanitarian message.”
Some internet users also called the scene blasphemous.
How have the organisers reacted to 'The Last Supper' parody backlash?
The Paris Olympics organisers on Sunday did issue an apology, saying that the aim was to celebrate "community tolerance".
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said.
“Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry,” he added.
The ceremony's artistic director Thomas Jolly also shared similar sentiments.
“My wish isn't to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly told AP. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”
The official Olympics account also has reportedly removed the Paris 2024 opening ceremony footage from its YouTube channel.
(With AP Inputs)
