The much-awaited Paris Olympics 2024 kickstarted on a blockbuster note and pompous celebrations on Friday. Over 6,000 athletes from around 205 countries sailed down the Seine River on boats despite heavy rainfall during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony.
Despite a stunning opening of the 33rd Olympic Games, the world remained undistracted from many controversies that affected the preparations for the games in France. These controversies included Hijab bran, train attack, etc.
Let’s take a look at the top controversies surrounding the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024:
Paris Olympic 2024: French rail attack:
Before the inauguration of the Paris 2024 Olympics, a series of sabotage attempts targeted France’s high-speed rail network, threatening significant disruptions. Rail officials warned thousands of people about potential travel chaos on Friday.
The saboteurs specifically targeted the capital’s northern, southwestern, and eastern regions, where the Olympic opening ceremony was scheduled to take place that evening. Fortunately, rail workers were able to prevent most of these disruptions.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal posted on X, “Our intelligence services and law enforcement are mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts.”
Paris Olympics 2024: Hijab Ban:
The strict secularism laws of France deny its nationals to wear hijab. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows its nationals to wear allows the participants to wear their religious attire, including hijab.
The controversy erupted when France’s 400-meter women’s and mixed relay teams athlete Sounkamba Sylla revealed that she wasn’t allowed to participate in the Olympics 2024 opening ceremony as she wore a hijab.
“You are selected for the Olympics, organized in your country, but you can’t participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a headscarf,” Sounkamba Sylla wrote in her social media post.
Paris Olympics 2024: Cleansing of migrants from the city:
Authorities came under fire as several migrants and homeless people were asked to vacate from Paris’ center and were sent to the city outskirts or other areas ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, as reported by AP.
Activist groups and several migrants have raised their voices on the matter and have termed it as the practice of a form called ‘social cleansing’.
Paris Olympics 2024: Ban on Israeli athletes:
Amid the ongoing Israel war in Gaza, there was a protest going on against their participation of Israel’s contingent by pro-Palestine protestors. Still, despite constant demands, the Israeli athletes arrived in the city amid tight security.
Controversies After Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony:
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 took place on Friday and featured some amazing performances by Philippe Katerine, Lady Gaga, and the band Gojira, among others. However, some acts sparked controversies on social media.
Philippe Katerine’s Controversial Performance:
Je pense au millard de téléspectateurs hors France qui vient de découvrir Philippe Katerine peint en bleu et en slibard ce soir pic.twitter.com/T18r2m3U3U
— Scipion (@Scipionista) July 26, 2024
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Philippe Katerine’s performance as Dionysus was particularly controversial as he performed nearly nude with his body painted blue, drawing comparisons to a ‘bulging Smurf’.
“Over 1 Billion people around the world are watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony. And this is the best France could do. A man dressed as a Smurf surrounded by drag queens and a plus sized woman with a giant crown,” wrote a social media user on X.
Over 1 Billion people around the world are watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
And this is the best France could do.
A man dressed as a Smurf surrounded by drag queens and a plus sized woman with a giant crown. pic.twitter.com/E4QHkwwFES
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) July 26, 2024
Last Supper Enactment:
This is crazy. Opening your event by replacing Jesus and the disciples at the The Last Supper with men in drag. There are 2.4 billion Christians on earth and apparently the Olympics wanted to declare loudly to all of them, right out of the gate
NOT WELCOME pic.twitter.com/T88AmXbqXL— Clint Russell (@LibertyLockPod) July 26, 2024
The ‘Last Supper’ performance at the opening ceremony has also received a lot of criticism. Drag queens reenacted the famous biblical scene where Jesus Christ shared his final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion. Several people on social media have called out this act for being disrespectful to one of the holiest events in Christianity.
The performance by Gojira’s band, representing Marie Antoinette‘s beheading also generated significant controversy. Performers were dressed in crimson and lined the banks of the Seine, holding severed heads, reflecting upon the execution of the former French Queen in 1973.
Give the singing beheaded Marie Antoinette all the medals #Olympics #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/4LAtKRsAaa
— SHANE REACTION (@imshanereaction) July 26, 2024
“In this scene from the Olympic opening ceremony, the famous painting of The Last Supper is recreated, but Jesus is replaced with an obese woman, while queer and trans figures (including a child!) depict her apostles. Overt pagan and satanic symbolism,” wrote another social media user on X.
In this scene from the Olympic opening ceremony, the famous painting of The Last Supper is recreated, but Jesus is replaced with an obese woman, while queer and trans figures (including a child!) depict her apostles.
Overt pagan and satanic symbolism. pic.twitter.com/YImWfFDekB
— Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) July 26, 2024
