The sporting celebration has stirred up some controversy due to portraying “wokeness”
BY GINA BEVAN, IMAGE VIA X (@OLYMPICS)
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics last week was a celebration of French culture and diversity. From Lady Gaga’s cabaret performance, a decapitated Marie Antoinette, and a blue Greek god surrounded by drag queens, this may have been the most overtly camp Olympics ceremony yet. Alongside those who praised organisers for their creativity and inclusivity, however, were cries of “wokeness” and religious insensitivity.
Controversy largely surrounded a scene in the ceremony that depicted a long table with the DJ Barbara Butch, a lesbian activist, in the middle surrounded by a range of identities, including drag queens, on either side of her. Served in the centre of the table on a platter was a figure painted in blue as the Greco-Roman God Dionysus, or Bacchus as he was known in Rome, the god of wine and ecstasy. Although director and choreographer Thomas Jolly stressed that the scene was a “grand pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus” akin to the Greek Dionysia or Roman Bacchanal, others have claimed that it is a parody of Leonarda da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, which shows Christ alongside his disciples – a comparison which Jolly claims was unintentional.
The scene has attracted a range of negative responses from religious groups and right-wing figures. The French Catholic Church stated that the opening ceremony was a “mockery of Christianity”, while Talk TV host and former member of the European Parliament, Alex Phillips, spoke of “shoving woke-ism down our throats”. Some online users have even shared an article egregiously stating that tech giant Samsung has withdrawn one billion dollars worth of sponsorship to the Olympics because of the perceived “woke agenda”. The allegations have since been proven false. The torrent of abuse that has stemmed from the opening ceremony has been so relentless, that Barbara Butch has now filed a legal complaint.
There are those who have viewed the scene in a much more positive light. Indeed, the connection between the Olympics and queerness in ancient Greece has been highlighted by several online users who have shared ancient images of homoerotic scenes set in gymnasiums. Although a modern lens of sexuality cannot be applied to the ancient world, and nor was it a queer utopia, the Olympics was certainly not “straight”. Poems on the Olympian games speak of the beauty of competitor’s bodies (alas, no women were allowed to compete) and have strong queer tones. The ancient poet Pindar, for example, spoke of the young male boxer Hagesidamus, comparing him to the beautiful Ganymede, the young boy who caught the attention of Zeus.
Queerness at the Olympics has precedents dating back to its inception and it is unfortunate that a ceremony meant to unite has become so divisive. Regardless, this is certainly an opening ceremony that will be remembered.
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