Christians including Elon Musk have slammed the Paris Olympics opening ceremony for an apparent parody of the Last Supper as technical hitches and rain-drenched performers meant only Canadian singer Celine Dion could save it.
With critics branding the four-hour show as the ‘worst ever’, viewers reported poor audio caused by the near-torrential rain and even joked online that organisers needed to ‘stop the boats’.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched 6,800 athletes covered in plastic ponchos attempted to keep spirits high as they travelled down the river Seine in a huge flotilla of 85 boats.
Performances from Lady Gaga and approximately 3,000 dancers, acrobats and actors were hard to hear over the sound of rain, with viewers slamming it as ‘the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory’.
Gaffes with country names, the mounting of the Olympic flag and bizarre scenes which saw as headless Marie Antoinette singing peppered the display last night as sport begins in earnest this morning.
But among the various artistic tableaus, named after French values such as freedom, fraternity and equality, it was the last supper-style performance in ‘festivité’ – or party – scene which caused the most controversy.
The catwalk-turned-stage element of the opening ceremony was criticised by some Christians for allegedly parodying the last supper
Other bizarre moments saw a singer dressed as a headless Marie Antoinette
A performer painted blue and covered in flowers and fruit, depicting the Greek god Dionysus, sang in French
A performer uses the table catwalk as a stage as they dance along to hits from around Europe
Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of the last supper, with Jesus in the centre surrounded by his disciples
Complete with models, dancers, fashion icons and drag queens from the host nation, the performance took place on a bridge over the capital’s river around a table, which also doubled as a catwalk.
At the centre was a woman in front of DJ equipment with a golden halo-style crown, surrounded by several drag queens and dozens of dancers and performers.
A fashion show which showcased clothing designed by some of France’s most promising young designers took centre stage, as those seated on either side performed slick choreography.
Among those present was Drag Race icon Nicky Doll, who has appeared on the French franchise, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World and now hosts France’s own version.
Although also hampered by hard-to-hear music, many young people and fans of the popular TV show took to social media to praise the tableau, which aimed to echo the atmosphere of a nightclub and featured dancing and lip-syncing on the soaking-wet stage.
But others were less impressed, accusing organisers of creating a ‘woke’ parody of the Last Supper – a painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Jesus’ last meal with his disciples.
Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who has come under criticism for his conservative beliefs, including towards his own daughter, wrote on X – formerly Twitter – claimed the performance was ‘extremely disrespectful to Christians’.
He added: ‘Christianity has become toothless.’
Celine Dion was praised by viewers for saving a rain-soaked opening ceremony in her first public performance since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome
Elon Musk took to X to reveal his displeasure with last night’s ceremony
Later in the show, the most bizarre moment of the night saw a giant platter bedecked in fake fruits and other foods – with a ‘smurf’ resting among them.
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The man, dressed in a skintight blue bodysuit that left very little to the imagination, was dressed as the Greek God of wine, festivity and theatre, Dionysus.
He was later unveiled to be French actor and singer Phillippe Katerine.
Another moment from the four-hour bonanza which was not on viewers’ bingo cards was when several dozen headless Marie Antoinettes appeared in a riff on the nation’s history.
Images of the performer, who sang with her seemingly severed head in her lap, were recreated in all the windows of the historic building while a rock band performed outside.
And it wasn’t just the performances during the ceremony which saw technical gaffes. As the long line of boats filled with athletes made its way down the Seine, an embarrassing moment saw South Korea labelled North Korea by the announcers.
As the South Korean delegation sailed down the Seine River in the French capital, they were introduced with the official name for North Korea: ‘Republique populaire democratique de Coree’ in French, then ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ in English.
A horsewoman delivers the Olympic flag at the end of the opening ceremony, surrounded by flagbearers for all the competing nations
A dramatic end to the ceremony saw a mechanical horse and rider gallop up the Seine
The Eiffel Tower featured a lights show towards the end of the four-hour show
Athletes aboard the boats were huddled under ponchos to try and keep as dry as possible
Members of the Chinese delegation are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
The Olympic rings are seen on the Eiffel Tower during last night’s opening ceremony
‘We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,’ the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account.
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The error sparked displeased reactions in South Korea, a global cultural and technological powerhouse that is technically still at war with the nuclear-armed and impoverished North.
South Korea’s sports ministry said in a statement it ‘expresses regret’ over the ‘announcement during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team’.
Second vice sports minister Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, has asked for a meeting with IOC chief Thomas Bach to discuss the matter, it added.
The sports ministry has also asked the foreign ministry to ‘deliver a strong protest to the French side’ over the issue, the statement said.
South Korea’s National Olympic Committee plans to meet with the Paris Olympics Organising Committee and the IOC to voice their protest, request measures to prevent a recurrence, and send an official letter of protest under the name of the head of its delegation, the sports ministry said.
Torrential rain in Paris has marred the opening ceremony with many spectators seen wearing ponchos and holding umbrellas
Team GB’s team embraced the rain, with many opting not to bother with poncho to protect from the torrential showers
The Olympic Ceremony in Paris was surprised with a performance from Lady Gaga, who sang in French on the banks of the Seine
North Korea was correctly introduced with the country’s official name.
Another embarrassing gaffe saw the Olympic flag raised upside down.
The only saving grace came at the end of the ceremony with a stunning performance by Canadian Celine Dion.
It was her first live public performance since revealing she is living with stiff person syndrome (SPS), with a spectacular rendition from the Eiffel Tower at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
The superstar closed the ceremony from the first stage of the French landmark, singing Edith Piaf’s L’Hymne A L’Amour.
The Canadian singer cancelled her Las Vegas residency due to health concerns in 2021, before revealing her SPS diagnosis in December 2022 and cancelling her Courage World Tour.
She has not performed in public since.
She appeared in the final moments of the Olympics pageantry dressed in a beaded silver gown with a high neckline and appeared emotional as she came to the climax of the song.
Social media users were critical of the ceremony, with one writing: ‘France is doing good but it’s getting nowhere near the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.’
The first boats of athletes making their way down the River Seine for the opening ceremony
France is overcast, grey and wet as the Olympic opening ceremony takes place along the river Seine
Let the games begin! The Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics is officially underway
A screen at the Trocadero breaks because of the onslaught of rain faced by performers and spectators
Athletes of the Refugee Olympic team arrive on the Seine
A masked torch bearer runs atop the Musee d’Orsay, in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony
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Another used a picture of Rishi Sunak on a podium that reads: ‘Stop the boats’ to describe how they felt about the water-bound parade.
For the first time in history, the opening ceremony is being held outside of a closed stadium, instead Paris are hosting a never before seen water parade for the Olympics.
The open-air spectacle is taking place along a 6km stretch of the Seine River and includes a total of 160 boats, carrying 94 athletes each along the iconic river.
But fans on social media were unimpressed by France’s attempt to switch up the ceremony, with one writing: ‘I’m sorry but this is the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory.
‘It’s an interesting idea bringing the athletes in on boats but it looks rubbish and misses the roar of the crowd. Sorry but not for me.’
Another said: ‘This opening ceremony would really benefit from Graham Norton’s commentary questioning what the hell is going on. Anyone else finding this just bizarre and hard to follow?’.
Gaming fans drew comparisons between the masked torch barer seen running around the city on rooftops and Arno, a character from the video game Assassin’s Creed.
The official Assassin’s Creed X account even posted a video of Arno jumping around in the game with the caption: ‘Keep an eye on Paris’ rooftops – Arno might just be watching from above.’
One X user wrote: ‘Can this get any worse! Avatar meets smurf remake’.
Meteorologists who predicted the unusual rainy July weather would be a ‘disaster’ for the outdoor ceremony appear to have been correct as the screen at the Trocadéro where thousands of spectators are gathered appeared to suffer a blackout as a result of the dreary weather.
Instead of crowds wearing shorts and t-shirts to soak up the Parisian sun, streets were lined with umbrellas and spectators – including celebrities – turning to ponchos to protect from the rain.
A viewer on social media joked: ‘If this rain keeps up by the time they get to Zimbabwe they’ll be able to sail the boat down the street!’.
‘Well this fancy outside idea went well didn’t it’, wrote another sarcastically.