Crisis from the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony

The host country organizes parades on the Seine River in parallel with the art program.

Wave of criticism

The organizers turned the Seine River into a live performance, showcasing the rich culture, history and romance inherent in France. Despite the rain, about 100 boats, large and small, carried members of the sports delegations on the 6 km long river flowing through the center of the capital Paris.

The flotilla passed iconic French landmarks such as Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum and several Olympic venues.

More than 300,000 live tickets were sold. However, the show was boycotted because of the performance of male artists dressed as women. They wore revealing costumes, posed provocatively and lined up at a table, which was said to be a replica of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper. This is an artistic masterpiece depicting the last supper of Jesus and his disciples before being betrayed by Judas.

Many viewers said that this performance offended Christians. The organizers were also criticized for mispronouncing the names of some countries, hanging flags upside down, etc. The scene of three dancers wearing colorful costumes hugging and kissing each other, then one dancer making a door-closing gesture was strongly condemned. Some sponsors fled the 2024 Paris Olympics. The network C'Spire declared itself "shocked" by the blasphemy of The Last Supper and affirmed that it was gradually withdrawing advertising from the Olympics.

According to USA Today, many Catholic organizations around the world condemned this moment. The French Bishops' Conference declared that this was a mockery, causing hurt to believers. The wave of boycotting the 2024 Paris Olympics emerged all over the internet. The keyword "boycott Olympics" flooded the social network X.

“The theme of the opening ceremony seemed to focus too much on social issues such as feminism, gender, race, etc., forgetting the main purpose of the Olympics, which is a sports festival. The musical performances and other items, although diverse, were only average, lacking highlights and grandeur,” commented one audience member.

The show caused a heated controversy.

World-famous boxer Islam Makhachev expressed: “The Paris Olympics are a shame and a stain on the Olympics. I watched some excerpts of the opening ceremony, it was disrespectful to all religions, to human values ​​in general. After what I saw, I no longer want to go to the 2024 Olympics.”

The organizers explained and apologized to the injured person.

The Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony video is no longer available on the organizers' YouTube account. The topic "disappearing Olympic opening video" attracted more than 500 million views on China's largest social network - Weibo.

At a press conference on July 28, Olympic spokeswoman Anne Descamps said the organizers did not mean to disrespect any religious community. The organizers apologized to those who felt hurt.

Opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly denied that the performance was inspired by the painting The Last Supper. According to the organizers, the performances convey a message of freedom, tolerance, cultural diversity and acceptance of all differences.

Paris 2024 Olympic President Tony Estanguet defended the artistic director’s argument. “We have freedom of speech in France and we want to protect it,” Estanguet said. The official social media account of the Paris 2024 Olympics also posted a correction that the green-skinned character (played by French singer and actress Philippe Katerine) was depicting the god Dionysus.

In Greek mythology, he is the patron god of wine, joy, and abundance. The opening ceremony consists of 10 chapters. The organizers incorporated many cultural and artistic features of the host country into the parade and torch lighting rituals. The British newspaper The Guardian commented that the organizers tried to mix in too many performances. Normally, the art program only lasts about 45-60 minutes.

Watching the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, director Le Quy Duong said that even though the world is divided and polarized, sports in general and the Olympics in particular will always be a bridge connecting countries.

To do this, international sports activities need to retain their inherent basic characteristics.

“In the current world context, organizing international activities, especially in the fields of culture, sports and religion, faces many challenges. By not inviting certain countries to participate, the 2024 Olympics itself loses the purest meaning of the Olympics. The organizing committee can cite many reasons for freedom and diversity for the opening performances.

However, freedom is only truly true when those rights are used and invoked on the principle of not harming or offending the cultural values ​​and beliefs of others," director Le Quy Duong analyzed.

He emphasized that sport is a common civilization of humanity. International sport needs to be organized independently and separated from all prejudices related to politics, economics, culture, ethnicity and religious beliefs.

Celine Dion inspiration

The spectacular return of diva Celine Dion was the highlight of the opening ceremony.

In the controversial event, the rare highlight was the performance of the song L'Hymne à l'amour by famous singer Celine Dion after a long time away from the stage due to a rare disease. International newspapers commented that the Canadian star shone in a sparkling dress, sang beautifully, and captivated the hearts of more than 1.5 billion viewers watching live.

After the opening ceremony, the singer shared on social media: “I am so happy to honor these amazing athletes. They bring stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance. I hope you all stay focused on your dreams. Whether you win a medal or not, just being here is extraordinary.”