Nothing kicks off an Olympic season like a phenomenal opening ceremony. And my oh my, the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony was something else. 100 boats carried over 10,500 athletes along the Seine River. Fans witnessed exceptional performances from top artists like Lady Gaga and Celine Dion. Then there was the ‘last supper’ drag queens scene. Unfortunately, the Da Vinci’s painting parody sparked a wave of controversies and reactions worldwide. Mostly among conservative audiences, right-wing pundits, several religious groups and some lawmakers. Most people saw it as a religious assassination attempt. Nevertheless, some Olympic partners did not take the matter lightly. Keep reading to find out how some of them reacted.
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Major Figures React to the Opening Ceremony Scene
Some world leaders, billionaires, CEOs and prolific figures did not let the ‘anti-Christian’ parody scene slide. Most of them took to the internet to openly express their disappointments. Among them Included:
- Donald J. Trump - Former US President;
- Elon Musk - CEO Tesla;
- Rob Schneider - Actor and comedian;
- Jenna Ellis - Attorney;
- Robert Barron - Minnesota Bishop;
Fact Check: Samsung Advertising Withdrawal?
An initial post by Esspots, a satire and parody News site, stated that the South Korean multinational brand was withdrawing its $1 billion advertising partnership with the 2024 Paris Olympics following the opening ceremony incident. However, that was incorrect. The website later pulled the post down and apologized to its readers.
The Samsung Olympic advertising is featured with several offers and activities. The company handed out around 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra phones to be used by athletes to livestream their participation and off field activities. On top of that, both Olympic winners and fans are enjoying the experience with the Victory Selfies at the medal ceremonies using the GalaxyZFlip6 Olympic Edition.
Can't think of a better way to flex those winning moments from the first ceremonies than with a Victory Selfie on the Olympic Edition! ❤️????
— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile)
C Spire Removed Its Olympics Advertising Deal
Unlike Samsung, C Spire, an American Telecommunications company, actually removed all its advertising from the Olympics. They felt strongly that the opening ceremony mocked Christianity. In their tweet, they stated that:
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.
Leonardo da Vinci’s "The Last Supper"
Everyone seemed to have noticed that the opening ceremony scene resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s "The Last Supper" mural painting. The Italian High Renaissance artist was a one of a kind and extraordinarily talented painter. In what is considered his largest work, he painted a scene told in the Gospel of John, of Jesus with the Twelve Apostles.
The scene was a nod to Greek mythology, and not ‘The Last Supper’
