The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 has courted a massive controversy over the drag queen-themed apparent parody of "The Last Supper," a mural painting by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci of Jesus and his apostles. Soon after videos of the performance were shared on social media, they drew flak from all quarters.
On Friday, as part of the opening ceremony of the Olympics, several performances shed light on France's history and culture.
At the ceremony, a group of around 18 performers struck poses behind a long table, with the Seine River and Eiffel Tower placed in the background. Among them were three familiar Drag Race France queens, the New York Post reported.
In the centre, an ornately dressed woman was seen donning a large silver headdress, resembling a halo depicted in Jesus' paintings. While smiling, the woman made a heart shape with her hands as all of them looked at the camera before breaking away in a choreographed routine.
Later, the participants stormed the stage for an impromptu fashion show as they swayed along the sidelines.
Further adding to this "absurdity," a massive serving tray revealed a scantily dressed man, who was painted head to toe in sparkling blue.
A post on the official X handle of the Olympic Games stated that the "interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."
However, the performance did not go down well with many who felt the group was making fun of Christianity.
"This was extremely disrespectful to Christians," Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote.
French politician Marion Maréchal said, "To all the Christians of the world who are watching the #Paris2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation. #notinmyname"
Journalist Kyle Becker said the 2024 Paris Olympics has gone "full Woke dystopian."
"The opening ceremony was filled with transgend*r mockery of the Last Supper, the Golden Calf idol, and even the Pale Horse from the Book of Revelation," he said.
Some social media users have also criticised the performance over the involvement of a child.
"The Paris Olympics is under fire for including a *child* in their hyper-s*xualized, blasphemous rendition of The Last Supper. Instead of bringing people together, the planners of the event apparently wanted to mock the religion of 2.4 billion people," one user wrote.
Olympics 2024 started in Paris on Friday and will continue until August 11.
