US sponsor pulls out of Olympics amid anger over Paris opening ceremony scene

A US-based company has decided to pull its adverts from the Paris Olympics after a controversial scene during Friday's opening ceremony.

The contentious scene unfolded on the Debilly Bridge where drag queens and dancers joined DJ Barbara Butch, who sported a halo-like silver headdress, for a catwalk segment that invigorated the crowd.

Christian viewers criticized the performance, believing it to be a derisive take on The Last Supper, a pivotal biblical event where Jesus is said to have identified his betrayer among the apostles. Despite assurances from organizers that there was no intended link, the incident caused an uproar within Christian communities and condemnation from figures including far-right politician Marion Marechal.

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Telecom giant C Spire expressed its dismay by stating: "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 ceremony's artistic director Thomas Jolly sought to clarify the intentions behind the scene. He emphasized that the objective was not to provoke but to project a loving, inclusive message aligning with France's core values of liberty, equality, and fraternity, likening the celebration to one worthy of Olympus.

"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.

"My wish isn't to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide. The idea was to do a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus.

"You'll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone. I wanted a ceremony that brings people together, that reconciles, but also a ceremony that affirms our Republican values of liberty, equality and fraternity."

The organizing committee have also insisted that no disrespect was meant. A representative maintained that the goal of the ceremony was actually to highlight tolerance within the French community.

They explained: "Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think we really did try to celebrate community tolerance. Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry."

The International Olympic Committee has acknowledged and accepted the apology issued by the Paris 2024 committee regarding the opening ceremony disagreement. Their comment was: The IOC has taken note of and welcomes the clarification given by the Paris 2024 Organising Committee concerning the opening ceremony.

"In the daily press briefing, the Organising Committee said there was never any intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief. They reiterated that their intention with the Opening Ceremony was always to celebrate community and tolerance. The Organising Committee also said that if anyone was offended by certain scenes, this was completely unintentional and they were sorry."