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One of the most famous quadrennial events, the Olympics undoubtedly presents itself as the center of all the world’s attention. This year, 2024, the Olympics takes place in Paris, a city often remembered for its high fashion and romance. From July 24 to August 11, thousands of accomplished athletes gather, coming from more than 200 nations. They arrive here, for both fierce competition and for the glory behind the medals and the friendship behind universal sportsmanship that transcends beyond countries’ borders.
On July 26, under the excited gaze of a worldwide audience, Paris presents the opening ceremony for this global event. However, out of most expectations, while the ceremony did demonstrate applaudable creativity, it met waves of irritated criticism because of some extremely controversial scenes.
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Demonstration of the Glory of France:
One of the most memorable moments in the entire opening ceremony was the statues of accomplished female figures that rose from the Seine. Paris decided to present to the global community the heroines that left irreplaceable marks on French history. Olympe de Gouges, Alice Milliat, Gisele Halimi, Simone de Beauvoir… All of these heroines have magically come back to life again with their figures proudly standing on the Seine. Subtitled in multiple languages, these scenes from the Paris Olympics have greatly astonished the audience. They highlight the athletes’ lifelong pursuits, leaving a lasting impact on viewers.
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Paris Olympics became the center of Controversy?
The worldwide controversy was sparked by one lavish scene from the opening ceremony. In this scene, Paris recreated the historical painting from Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper—except this time, this recreation featured drag dancers and performers. Appearing viral on social media, the most “outrageous” part is when a male actor, painted blue, played the Greek god Dionysus while barely having any covers on his body to protect the last bit of clothed dignity. Some regard this section of the ceremony as a sufficient representation of France’s inclusivity to gender-diverse communities. In contrast, others view this as an offence to Christianity because of its radical depiction of Jesus and the twelve apostles.
Former campaign attorney of Donald Trump, Jenna Ellis expresses that the painting possesses “overt pagan and satanic symbolism.” She further asserts her criticism, stating that “the famous painting of The Last Supper is recreated, but Jesus is replaced with an obese woman, while queer and trans figures (including a child!) depict her apostles”.
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Paris Olympics 2024 is likely going to be an Olympic event remembered by history. This is quite widely agreed—the disagreement is whether it is going to be remembered in a good way or a bad way. Despite the astonishment or criticism of the opening ceremony, the Olympics will not end until mid-August. Since the core of the Olympics is its athletes, let’s shift our attention from the opening ceremony to the competition itself. We will all wait with bated breath for the wonder these individuals will make in the next few weeks.
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