Olympics opening ceremony: IOC take down video from YouTube, C Spire drops advertisements after backlash

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has removed a video of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics from its YouTube channel. IOC and Paris 2024 organisers faced massive global public backlash over an alleged LGBTQ-themed parody of ‘The Last Supper’, which was widely seen by Christians as blasphemous.

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As of Monday morning in India, the 26-minute video on the Olympics YouTube channel titled ‘LET THE GAMES BEGIN! | #Paris2024 Opening Ceremony Highlights’ is unavailable.

The same goes for a similar video on the YouTube channel of NBC Sports, the official broadcaster of the Games in the USA. NBC’s Olympics media-rights deal is the biggest in the world. The IOC has yet to officially provide a reason behind the move.

The apparent removal of the video came after numerous politicians, social media users, and influencers expressed outrage over a scene featuring a troupe of drag queens, homosexuals, and transsexuals posing at a table as Jesus Christ and his apostles appeared in Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’.

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Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps issued an apology on Sunday (July 28), explaining that “clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group” and that the ceremony “tried to celebrate community tolerance.”

She went on to say: “we believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry.”

Meanwhile, the official page of the Olympic Games published a post on X asking social media users: “Which moment [of the ceremony] was your favorite?” only to be targeted with criticism, with descriptions of the event ranging from “absolutely atrocious,” “shameful,” and “disgusting,” to “blasphemous” and “freak show.”

Religious conservatives decry the tableau

Religious conservatives from around the world decried the segment, with the French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops deploring “scenes of derision” that they said made a mockery of Christianity — a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The Anglican Communion in Egypt expressed its “deep regret” Sunday, saying the ceremony could cause the IOC to “lose its distinctive sporting identity and its humanitarian message.”

The ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly had distanced his scene from any “Last Supper” parallels after the ceremony, saying it was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly had said after the ceremony. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

C Spire drops all advertising

As a result of the backlash, C Spire, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the US, decided to pull all advertisements from the Paris Olympics.

The telecom giant took to social media platform X to express its disapproval.

We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics.

The post reads, “We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics.”

Company’s CEO Suzy Hays said in a statement, “C Spire is supportive of our athletes who have worked so hard to be a part of the Olympics. However, we will not be a part of the offensive and unacceptable mockery of the Last Supper, which is why we’re pulling our advertising from the Olympics,” reported 16 WAPT.

Governor of Mississippi, Tate Reeves, supported C Spire’s decision as he said, “I am proud to see the private sector in Mississippi step up and put their foot down. God will not be mocked. C Spire drew a common-sense, appropriate line."