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Olympic bosses apologise for 'sleazy' drag queen Last Supper parody
The biblical scene, which included drag artists and a naked singer, was heavily criticised by politicians and members of the Catholic Church
Will Bolton, IN PARIS
THEW TELEGRAPH
28 July 2024
The organisers of the Paris Olympics have apologised after a drag queen parody of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper featured in the opening ceremony.
The tableau, which recreated the biblical scene of Christ and his apostles, included drag artists and a naked singer. It was heavily criticised by politicians and members of the Catholic Church.
On Sunday, Anne Deschamps, a Paris 2024 spokesman, said that "clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group". Ms Deschamps said that the opening ceremony "tried to celebrate community tolerance".
She added: "We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry."
On Saturday, a number of prominent politicians criticised the skit, with Marion Marechal, a far-Right member of the European Parliament, apologised to "all the Christians of the world who felt insulted".
Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, branded it insulting and "sleazy". "Opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians across the world was a really bad start," he wrote on X.
Elon Musk, the Tesla, X and Space X owner, also criticised the parody which he described as being "extremely offensive to Christians".
Daniel French, vicar of Salcombe and Marlborough, said the skit mocked Christianity and the Last Supper "in a way it never would have for any other religion" and called on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to criticise the performance.
The controversial scene featured a group of around a dozen performers striking poses behind a long table. At the centre was a woman wearing a headdress that resembled a crown, while holding her hands out in a heart shape. She was flanked by drag queens, transgender dancers, and other artists who performed alongside her.
At the end of the scene, a serving tray was placed on the stage and a scantily clad man, who was painted blue, emerged from inside.
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who heads the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life expressed his disgust in the right-wing daily, Il Giornale, on Sunday.
The archbishop spoke of the importance of the Olympics and sporting values in promoting fraternity and equality before saying: "This high ideal has been besmirched by a blasphemous mockery of one of Christianity's holiest moments."
Thomas Jolly, the opening ceremony artistic director, said he was perplexed by the negative reactions to the show. He said: "Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together.
"We wanted to include everybody. In France, we have artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country."
Painted in the late 15th century, The Last Supper is a mural by Leonardo da Vinci. It depicts Jesus with the 12 apostles, showing the moment after he has announced that one of them will betray him.
