Christians including Elon Musk have slammed the Paris Olympics opening ceremony for an apparent parody of the Last Supper as technical hitches and rain-drenched performers meant only Canadian singer Celine Dion could save it.
With critics branding the four-hour show as the ‘worst ever’, viewers reported poor audio caused by the near-torrential rain and even joked online that organisers needed to ‘stop the boats’.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched 6,800 athletes covered in plastic ponchos attempted to keep spirits high as they travelled down the river Seine in a huge flotilla of 85 boats.
Performances from Lady Gaga and approximately 3,000 dancers, acrobats and actors were hard to hear over the sound of rain, with viewers slamming it as ‘the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory’.
Gaffes with country names, the mounting of the Olympic flag and bizarre scenes which saw as headless Marie Antoinette singing peppered the display last night as sport begins in earnest this morning.
But among the various artistic tableaus, named after French values such as freedom, fraternity and equality, it was the last supper-style performance in ‘festivité’ – or party – scene which caused the most controversy.
Complete with models, dancers, fashion icons and drag queens from the host nation, the performance took place on a bridge over the capital’s river around a table, which also doubled as a catwalk.
At the centre was a woman in front of DJ equipment with a golden halo-style crown, surrounded by several drag queens and dozens of dancers and performers.
A fashion show which showcased clothing designed by some of France’s most promising young designers took centre stage, as those seated on either side performed slick choreography.
Among those present was Drag Race icon Nicky Doll, who has appeared on the French franchise, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World and now hosts France’s own version.
Although also hampered by hard-to-hear music, many young people and fans of the popular TV show took to social media to praise the tableau, which aimed to echo the atmosphere of a nightclub and featured dancing and lip-syncing on the soaking-wet stage.
But others were less impressed, accusing organisers of creating a ‘woke’ parody of the Last Supper – a painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Jesus’ last meal with his disciples.
Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who has come under criticism for his conservative beliefs, including towards his own daughter, wrote on X – formerly Twitter – claimed the performance was ‘extremely disrespectful to Christians’.
“He added: ‘Christianity has become toothless.'”
Later in the show, the most bizarre moment of the night saw a giant platter bedecked in fake fruits and other foods – with a ‘smurf’ resting among them.
The man, dressed in a skintight blue bodysuit that left very little to the imagination, was dressed as the Greek God of wine, festivity and theatre, Dionysus.
He was later unveiled to be French actor and singer Phillippe Katerine.
Another moment from the four-hour bonanza which was not on viewers’ bingo cards was when several dozen headless Marie Antoinettes appeared in a riff on the nation’s history.
Images of the performer, who sang with her seemingly severed head in her lap, were recreated in all the windows of the historic building while a rock band performed outside.
And it wasn’t just the performances during the ceremony which saw technical gaffes. As the long line of boats filled with athletes made its way down the Seine, an embarrassing moment saw South Korea labelled North Korea by the announcers.
As the South Korean delegation sailed down the Seine River in the French capital, they were introduced with the official name for North Korea: ‘Republique populaire democratique de Coree’ in French, then ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ in English.
‘We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,’ the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account.
The error sparked displeased reactions in South Korea, a global cultural and technological powerhouse that is technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North.
South Korea’s sports ministry said in a statement it ‘expresses regret’ over the ‘announcement during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team’.
Second vice sports minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has asked for a meeting with IOC chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter, it added.
The sports ministry has also asked the foreign ministry to ‘deliver a strong protest to the French side’ over the issue, the statement said.
South Korea’s National Olympic Committee plans to meet with the Paris Olympics Organising Committee and the IOC to voice their protest, request measures to prevent a recurrence, and send an official letter of protest under the name of the head of its delegation, the sports ministry said.
