Paris Olympics organizers have apologized for any offense caused by their daring and unconventional opening ceremony, which drew criticism from some Catholic groups and French bishops. The ceremony, choreographed by theater director Thomas Jolly, faced backlash for a scene that critics claimed mocked Christianity.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” Anne Descamps, spokeswoman for Paris 2024, said in an AFP report. “If people have taken any offense, we are of course really, really sorry.”
The controversial scene featured dancers, drag queens, and a DJ in poses that some interpreted as recalling the Last Supper. Jolly denied any such inspiration, explaining the scene was meant to promote tolerance of different sexual and gender identities.
“The idea was to do a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus,” Jolly told BFM channel. “You’ll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone. I wanted a ceremony that brings people together, that reconciles, but also a ceremony that affirms our Republican values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.”
Despite the mixed reactions, a poll by Harris showed that 86 percent of respondents in France had a positive view of the ceremony. French President Emmanuel Macron said the ceremony had “made our compatriots extremely proud.”
However, some conservative critics labeled the ceremony as “woke,” with Julien Odoul from France’s far-right National Rally party calling it “a ransacking of French culture.”
The opening ceremony, held along the River Seine, was watched by around 300,000 spectators and marked the first time a Summer Olympics opened outside of the main athletics stadium. American broadcaster NBC reported it as the most-watched start to an Olympics since London 2012, while German broadcaster ARD noted it was the most-watched in 20 years.