The Olympic Games Paris 2024 representative said there was “never intention” to disrespect any religious group.
A spokesperson for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has apologised after the opening ceremony received backlash about aspects that resembled the Last Supper event.
“Clearly there was never intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, we intended to show tolerance and community,” Anne Descamps, the director of communications of Paris 2024, told a press conference on Sunday.
She added: “If people have taken any offence then we are sorry”.
The ceremony sparked controversy due to its feature of performers from alternative lifestyles posing in ways reminiscent of depictions of the Last Supper.
At the centre of the dancers was a DJ wearing a silver headdress which resembled a halo.
The Bishop’s Conference of France described the scenes as a “derision and mockery of Christianity”.
Speaking to French media on Sunday, Thomas Jolly, the cremony’s artistic director, said that he had no intention to mock or degenerate.
For their part, the Olympics’ official X account described the scenes as an interpretation of Ancient Greek mythology, emphasising that it aimed to show “the absurdity of violence between human beings”.
However, a Greek social media user said the ceremony was “confusing, chaotic, tasteless, inappropriate, but most important offensive.”
Qatar responds
On Monday, the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) published a statement expressing its deepest shock and condemnation of the opening ceremony.
“Jesus Christ is revered by billions of people worldwide as a symbol of love, compassion, and unity. To subject such a revered figure to public ridicule and disrespect is an affront not only to the entire Christian community but also all Muslim communities,” the DICID said in its statement.
In the Islamic faith, the concept of Isa, or Jesus, is that he is a prophet of God who was miraculously born to the virgin Maryam, or Mary.
As such, the Qatari Minister of State for International Cooperation took to social media to express her “disgust” at the parody reenactment of the canonical Last Supper event.
“As a Muslim I totally reject and denounce the demeaning manner of how Jesus Christ peace be upon him was characterized,” Lolwah Al Khater said via X on Saturday.
The Qatari official added that she stands in solidarity with the world’s Christian communities who also took offence to the ceremony’s portrayal.
Echoing Al Khater’s position, Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, president of Qatar National Library, said the ceremony was “nothing more than an insult to the Christian religion, which we cannot accept”.
Following the waves of backlash, videos of the ceremony have been deleted from YouTube and other social media platforms, according to reports and social media observers.
