Ooh la la! Scandals from the Paris Olympics opening night

It was unforgettable: the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Not only because it was held in the center of Paris, along the banks and bridges of the river Seine, but also because of the kinds of entertainment the French organizers chose to present.

Image: Olympic Games / X

Lady Gaga was one of the superstars singing at the ceremony. We've known her to lighten up events of all sorts - from football games to presidential inaugurations and gay parties. So anything was possible after she shouted: "Good evening! Welcome to Paris!"

So when she appeared on the banks of the river Seine in a tight cabaret outfit and a play with pink feathers, singing 'Mon Truc en Plume,' no one was surprised. French extravagance and global entertainment coming together.

Things soon got heated at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics though. Feathers were ruffled - literally and figuratively.

At the Palais de Justice, we saw the first image that shocked many spectators around the world: Marie Antoinette standing up straight, carrying her own head after her historic meeting with the guillotine. The last queen before the Revolution was beheaded in 1793.

The twins of Prince Albert and Princess Charlène of Monaco expressed shock and wonder at the sight of the unusual opening ceremony. According to Fox News, some found the Marie Antoinette appearance "despicable", while others thought she deserved the Games' first gold medal.

In another hotly debated scene, three actors flirted with each other in what seemed to become a 'ménage à trois' or at least a non-conventional love affair. As the Olympic Games X account emphasized, "the freedom to love is no less sacred than the freedom to think" - pure wisdom by Victor Hugo.

Image: Olympic Games / X

Viewers cited by Fox News reacted with "a mix of both hilarity and negativity." At USA Today, the feedback was generally positive, but "that didn't make it any less shocking to witness on network television in the middle of the afternoon."

Image: vlucas / X, via Fox News

Further along in the evening, after striking appearances of Les Miserables, the Mona Lisa, and even the Minions, another scene appeared on the Seine that many people found hard to watch. 

A group of dr4g artists depicted a famous religious scene - but which was it? The Last Supper of Christ, or a Dionysian bacchanal from ancient Greek culture?

Image: Olympic Games / X

Most viewers saw Da Vinci's depiction of Jesus and his apostles in the scene and some denounced the organizers of the opening ceremony. Among them, conservative TV hosts like Piers Morgan.

Image: Piers Morgan / X

The French Catholic Church was especially vocal, Reuters reported. A spokesperson even claimed that "Some French athletes had trouble sleeping because of the fallout from the controversy," as cited by the news agency.

At the moment of the controversial display, the Olympic Games organizers were ready on X to explain what we were looking at:
"The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."
A noble message, but would anyone have guessed it?

Maybe people were confused when they saw the performers at the table. Or, maybe, it really was the Last Supper and it subsequently turned into a Greek bacchanal. Both options are possible, and the debate continues.

In any case, the next morning, the organizers of the opening ceremony apologized for the 'kitsch tableau', Reuters reported. "If people have taken any offence we are really sorry," Reuters cited the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps.

"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group," Deschamps said. The ceremony "tried to celebrate community tolerance."

As the horsewoman galloping across the Seine towards the end of the ceremony, the organizers wanted to portray "A representation of Olympic spirit and a call for peace and solidarity". Let's hope the Games themselves will soon pacify the critics.

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