The ‘Parade of Nations‘, which usually features sportspersons walking on along the running track of a stadium, witnessed a break from tradition as athletes from 205 countries and one refugee team navigated the Seine on boats, which mesmerised the audience.Despite the looming threat of heavy rain before and during the ceremony, the participants remained undeterred, showcasing their resilience and determination.
The ceremony also gave a sweet nod to ‘Hindi‘ as it was among the six languages used in infographics to pay tribute to the contribution of prominent French women during the segment titled ‘sisterhood’.
The Indian contingent, consisting of 78 athletes and officials, made their entrance at the 84th position during the event. The contingent was led by flag-bearers PV Sindhu, two-time Olympic medallist; and A Sharath Kamal, a legendary table tennis player.
However, some acts were not well received by the audience.
The recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting ‘The Last Supper’ during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony, where Jesus was replaced by a woman and the apostles depicted as queer and trans figures including a child, sparked outrage among many netizens.
They criticised the act as disrespectful and mocking towards Christianity.
Additionally, the beheading of Queen Marie Antoinette and Philippe Katerine’s bizarre performance as the Greek god Dionysus, lying semi-naked on a fruit platter with blue paint and gold dust, were also condemned as inappropriate and in poor taste.
Many viewers felt a “viewer discretion” warning was needed for the ceremony.
Netizens took to social media to express their anger, with one user calling the acts “disgusting” and another describing the ceremony as “absolute garbage” and the “worst ever”.
“A tasteless display of terrorism at the #Olympic Games opening in Paris – a beheaded Marie Antoinette The brainwashed idiocy of égalité, fraternité and liberté is haunting the socialist French mind to this day We add the words of a free and confident thinker and great leader,” said a user.
“More than a billion people around the world are watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. France couldn’t come up with anything worse than a blue man who looks like a Smurf and mocking the Last Supper of Jesus Christ,” a user said on X.
“I’m truly speechless. So disrespectful towards many athletes from other nations at the #OlympicGames,” one of the X users wrote.
Another user said, “It would be nice if one Christian Olympian denounced the blasphemy that took place during the opening ceremonies… We can talk all night long on social media about how despicable this was but we need athletes to stand for Jesus Christ right now. Don’t be silent.”
Notably, this will be Paris’s third time hosting the Olympics, following the events of 1900 and 1924.