Paris Olympics organizers consoled religious groups on Sunday after an Opening Ceremony segment featured a group of drag queens in a scene evoking Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” which sparked outrage among Christians.
The scene featured a group of drag queens, including contestants from Drag Race France, gathered behind a table with one woman adorned with a halo in the center. The group was eventually joined by a man dressed as the Greek god Dionysus, part of the Olympics’ intent to reflect “the absurdity of violence between human beings.”
The scene enraged Christian groups, as some felt the arrangement mocked the solemnness of Leonardo’s original painting. The French Catholic Church’s bishops conference blasted the performance as “scenes of derision,” while the Anglican Communion in Egypt said the moment risked causing the International Olympic Committee to “lose its distinctive sporting identity and its humanitarian message.”
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An IOC spokesperson brushed aside those concerns, saying the performance was meant to reflect international diversity and Paris’ dedication to inclusivity.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” spokesperson Anne Descamps told reporters, according to the Associated Press. “On the contrary, I think [with artistic director] Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance. Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”
