Olympics deletes footage of drag queen re-enactment of the “Last Supper" after facing heavy backlash

By Abhiruchi Rout

Modified Jul 28, 2024 13:56 GMT

Paris hosted the opening ceremony of the Olympics on the Seine River, with athletes arriving by boat during the Parade of Nations. The opening ceremony was not only unique compared to other quadrennial games but also sparked some controversy.

One of them was a drag queen-themed parody performance that resembled Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," the famous mural of Jesus and his apostles was depicted by a woman and queer and transfigures. This act received a lot of criticism, as many described it as a mockery of Christianity.

However, the official Olympic Games account on X (formerly Twitter) mentioned that the performance referenced the Greek god Dionysus in their tweet, which read:

“The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

The Olympic organizers uploaded a video of the opening ceremony, including this act on their YouTube page. However, the video has since been removed, with fans speculating that it could be due to the heavy criticism it received. Titled “LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”, the video is no longer available.

However, another video of the opening ceremony has been uploaded to the official Olympics YouTube channel titled - “SPECTACULAR Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony! 💥🇫🇷 | Highlights.” This video is currently available on their channel.

The opening ceremony also featured performances by top artists such as Celine Dion, making her comeback after being diagnosed with the neurological disorder 'stiff person syndrome,' American singer-songwriter and actress Lady Gaga and French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura, among others.

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An overview of key details of the 2024 Paris Olympics

Lebron James, Flagbearer of Team United States, waves his country's flag on a boat on the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

About 10,714 athletes from 206 countries will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including delegations from the Refugee Olympic Team and Individual Neutral Athletes (Russia and Belarus athletes). The Olympics officially began on July 27 and are set to conclude on August 11, 2024.

Following the opening ceremony, medal events have already begun in sports such as Swimming, Road Cycling, Shooting, Fencing, and Diving, among others. Notably, a total of 329 events in 32 sports are scheduled for the 2024 Paris Olympics.