Organizers apologized after religious groups criticized 'The Last Supper' as a parody during the opening ceremony.
Delegates arrive at the Trocadero in Paris as spectators watch French singer Philippe Cader perform on a giant screen at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26. (Credit: Ludovic Marin/Pool/Reuters)
Paris Olympic organizers apologized for what some critics described as a parody of “The Last Supper” during Friday's lavish opening ceremony.
The spectacle featured drag artists and dancers and was widely criticized by the Catholic Church and Christian groups.
The French Catholic Church said the festivities “include mockery and mockery of Christianity”.
“We never intended to disrespect any religious group,” Paris 2024 spokeswoman Ann Descamps told a news conference on Sunday.
Artists can be seen on the sidewalk along the Passerelle Debilly bridge in Paris during the opening ceremony. (Credit: Wally Scalige/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)
“Instead, I think we're trying to celebrate community, tolerance. We believe that this ambition has been fulfilled. If anyone has been offended, of course we are very sorry.
Although the scene has been subject to criticism, the opening ceremony has also been widely praised, with some users noting that the scene is too reminiscent of other works such as “The Banquet of the Gods” by Johann Rottenhammer and Jan Bruegel.
In an interview with CNN affiliate BFMTV on Sunday, Opening Ceremony director Thomas Jolly insisted that “The Last Supper” was not the inspiration behind the scenes.
“Dionysus comes to the table because he's the Greek god of celebration and that sequence is called 'festival,'” Jolly said.
“The god of wine, he is a French jewel and the father of the Seine, a deity associated with the river Seine. The idea was to create a huge pagan festival connected to the Gods of Olympus, and you will never find any desire to make fun of anyone in me or in my work.
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