Paris Olympics: Opening, History, Culture, and Controversy

“The Paris Olympics are not just about sports; they are also about presenting a new French identity to the world,” writes Philippe Auclair, a correspondent for the Guardian. Despite being considered “ungovernable,” France managed to stage an audacious opening ceremony that received criticism from some church leaders and conservative politicians for allegedly mocking Christianity. This controversy was sparked by the alleged resemblance of part of the performance to the biblical scene from Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.”

Experts suggest that the ceremony drew inspiration from a 17th-century depiction of the gods of Olympus, titled “The Feast of the Gods,” by Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert. The Magnin Museum in Dijon, France, highlighted this and invited people to “come and admire” the painting. However, museum experts emphasise that the root cause of the misunderstandings is the Protestant Reformation, which rejected Catholic art and destroyed many of its works.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Games featured a mysterious, masked, and hooded figure walking through Paris with the Olympic torch. It also depicted key figures of French history and culture. The Sortiparis.com portal provides a comprehensive explanation of the individual elements of this ceremony.