‘Dark stain’: The day the world turned on the Olympic Games

The global backlash to a controversy-filled opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics continues to plague the start of the event.

The Paris Olympics are at risk of being overwhelmed by an outpouring of anger as organisers deal with a seemingly unexpected level of controversy over the opening ceremony.

Paris spent $1.5 billion on its attempt to dazzle the world with a four-hour extravaganza, but even the appearances of megastars like Lady Gaga and Celine Dion have been overshadowed by the fury of viewers dismayed a perceived attack on the Christian faith.

A segment entitled “Festivity” began with a group of dancers and drag queens sat in poses that recalled depictions of the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus is said to have taken with his apostles.

It was set to music by lesbian activist DJ Barbara Butch who sat at the centre with a silver headdress that resembled a halo.

But the norm-breaking scene has upset conservatives and drawn mixed reviews.

“What the f*ck was all this about? A drag queen mockery of the Last Supper at the Olympics? Would they have mocked any other religion like this? Appalling decision,” Piers Morgan tweeted.

“This is a disgrace,” Hillsong founder Brian Houston wrote. “Destroying a spectacular opening with blasphemy.”

“The fact that they’re openly mocking Jesus shows the power that’s in his name,” Israel Folau wrote on Instagram.

“F*ck the Olympics,” added boxer Ryan Garcia. “Boycott it for the disrespect of Jesus Christ.”

“Paris Games is a shame and dark stain on Olympic movement,” wrote UFC champion Islam Makhachev.

The most controversial part of the opening ceremony.

It’s also caused a storm in the host country as French bishops complained Saturday about the alleged “mockery of Christianity”.

The rain-soaked parade on Friday evening had offered “wonderful moments of beauty, joy, rich emotions, and was universally praised,” a statement from the French Bishops’ Conference said on Saturday.

“However, this ceremony unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply regret,” the bishops said.

“We think of all Christians across the continents who were hurt by the excesses and provocation of certain scenes,” added the bishops in a statement co-signed by the “Holy Games”, a sports program funded by the Catholic Church.

Conservatives and far-right politicians in France were also left aghast by what they saw as a “woke” spectacle featuring LGBT+ performers and a highly racially-diverse cast.

The ceremony saw athletes sail down a 6km stretch of the river Seine on 85 boats, the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main stadium.

Entertainers including Franco-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura performed from riverside locations, while Quebec-born Dion closed the show with a rousing solo from the Eiffel Tower.

A spokesman for France’s far-right National Rally party, Julien Odoul called the ceremony “a ransacking of French culture”, while conservative US entrepreneur Elon Musk slammed it as “extremely disrespectful to Christians.”

Show director reacts to criticism

Show artistic director Thomas Jolly, who is gay, had pledged last week that the ceremony would celebrate “diversity” and “otherness”.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, he said that his intention had not “been to be subversive or to mock, or to shock”.

“Above all I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion, not at all to divide,” he added.

“In France, you have the right to love as you like, who you like. In France, you can believe (in religion) or not believe. In France, we have lots of rights,” he added.

Foreign conservatives such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who sees himself as a defender of “traditional” values in Europe, railed Saturday against the “weakness and disintegration of the Western world” as illustrated by the opening ceremony.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the show a “mockery of a sacred story for Christians” and a “giant gay parade.”.

Russia, which banned so-called “gay propaganda” in 2013, has been excluded from the Paris Olympics over its invasion of Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron jumped to Jolly’s defence, saying the ceremony had “made our compatriots extremely proud”.

Torchbearer Zinedine Zidane is seen during the opening ceremony. (Photo by Stephanie Lecocq / POOL / AFP)

Reviews of the music, costumes and new outdoor format were mixed. French sports newspaper l’Equipe said it had “left memories for a century”, while le Monde said “this extraordinary opening ceremony met the challenge that the naysayers thought was impossible”.

But writing in Britain’s The Guardian newspaper, reviewer Arifa Akbar said there were some “thoroughly weird curatorial decisions”. “Paris is known for its taste but this looked like a motley outfit thrown together,” she said.

Critic Mike Hale writing in The New York Times said the ceremony felt “bloated” and “worked to diminish the athletes”, while being “light on humour and heavy on pretence”.

Around 300,000 spectators watched from the river banks and although many remained upbeat despite the rain, others complained about watching screens and a monotonous procession of boats for most of the time, with the singers and dancers stretched out all along the route.

American Olympic legend Michael Johnson endorsed the format, writing on X that “I’m not sure the spectator experience was great, but I think athletes enjoyed this opening ceremony”.

Women’s tennis world number one Iga Swiatek was also a huge fan. “Just watched the opening ceremony (I know, I’m always late with these things). Hopefully I’ll stop crying before the next match,” she wrote on social media. “The Flame, last moments...I just can’t. One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. You have no idea how much you inspire

@celinedion.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also praised Jolly’s work. “Every edition (of the Olympics) brings a stone to the edifice,” Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games executive director at the IOC, told reporters. “This has brought a mountain, it’s not a small stone.”

- with AFP

Originally published as ‘Dark stain’: The day the world turned on the Olympic Games