Many sports lovers eagerly awaited the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games. All big events are always exciting. Back in 2008, when many people praised the Beijing ceremony as the best. This is because it was an amazing arrangement. The 2012 ceremony in London was also very impressive and memorable. It was the mixing of politics, humor, and great music to showcase Britain to the world.
Considering all of this, people were very excited about last Friday’s Olympic opening. They are curious to see what France will do to break the above record.
The ceremony was totally opposite from expectations. Not only rain ruined the ceremony. But also the strange artistic choices and unimpressive performances disappointed many sports lovers. The French media claimed that all of this setup has cost around $130 million. Well, it is four times the amount spent on London’s acclaimed 2012 event. It makes you wonder where all that money went.
The opening ceremony took place on a bridge over the River Seine. Also, a table was set on it that served as a catwalk. Many people from Paris performed different acts. It includes models, dancers, fashionistas, and drag queens.
Barbara Butch, a plus-size lesbian DJ in a sparkly blue dress and a golden halo crown, was the highlight.
The whole thing seemed like a bizarre version of the Last Supper, with drag queens replacing Christ and his apostles. There was a transgender model, a nearly naked Greek god of wine, and music from DJ Butch. The focus on inclusivity was clear, but it didn’t make up for the lackluster performance.
The best performer of the show was Butch, Even though her style was more drag queen than feminist, she was a real woman, not a man pretending to be one. Butch later explores that the purpose of the opening ceremony was to celebrate love, inclusivity, and diversity through music and dance. Also, the ceremony was meant to bring different people across the world together.
However, the ceremony included a strange act where Philippe Katerine, dressed as a blue Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, lay naked on a platter surrounded by drag queens. The International Olympic Committee said this performance, featuring a man dressed as a Smurf, was supposed to show the “absurdity of violence between human beings.”
There were about 28 million people that watched the event. Manu was disappointed by the arrangements made by France. But this ceremony was not about love. It mostly caused disappointment and anger.
The French Catholic Church was very upset over what they thought was a disrespectful version of the Last Supper and their religion. Muslim and Christian communities also criticized many performances and showed their anger. They gave a specific name to the show and also requested people across the world to boycott it. According to them, the show was “blasphemous” and “an abomination.” Many people said that their sacred beliefs were insulted due to the performances of the opening ceremony.
Some people even suggested that the Paris display wasn’t meant to be a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” but was trying to recreate Jan van Bijlert’s “The Feast of the Gods.”
People also claimed that the show was full of disrespecting or parodying any religious group. If the Olympic Committee apologized for it and said that the show had no purpose of disrespecting any religion, then still the show was disappointing and frustrating. The fact is that the show was mocking women.
There’s a growing fatigue with drag culture and its constant presence in the media and entertainment world. The portrayal of men as exaggerated stereotypes of women and the so-called celebration of their “art” is deeply offensive. It’s upsetting to see this take the spotlight at an event meant to unite people and celebrate love and inclusion.
Historical minstrel shows, in which caricatures of enslaved Black people, are recognized as deeply racist and insulting. Yet, the drag’s mockery of women seems to escape the same level of criticism.
Catholics were also upset about the opening ceremony and claimed this event disrespected the Church.
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 did not set a good example of how the Olympics convey the message of equality. And also treat women respectfully. There were many issues related to mismanagement faced by the Olympics 2024. It disappointed many sports lovers.
