Paris 2024 break silence on Olympic opening ceremony controversy as organisers apologise after Christians slammed spectacle for woke parody of the Last Supper

Paris 2024 organiser Anne Descamps has apologised for immoderate offence caused by belief depictions during nan opening ceremony.

Friday's showpiece has drawn immoderate disapproval for a banquet segment wherever an character playing Greek deity Dionysus took centre shape connected a array pinch resistance queens, which has been interpreted to lucifer Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper painting.

Some belief groups condemned nan ceremony, including nan Catholic Church successful France who said it included 'scenes of derision and insult of Christianity'.

In a property convention connected Sunday, Descamps apologised for immoderate offence caused and insisted that nan ceremonial intended to 'celebrate organization tolerance'.

'Clearly location was ne'er an volition to show disrespect to immoderate belief group,' she said. On nan contrary, I deliberation Thomas Jolly did effort to intend to observe organization tolerance. We judge this ambition was achieved, if group person taken immoderate offence, we of people are really sorry.'

The International Olympic Committee later said successful a statement: 'The IOC has taken statement of and welcomes nan explanation fixed by nan Paris 2024 Organising Committee regarding nan Opening Ceremony.

'In nan regular property briefing, nan Organising Committee said that location was ne'er immoderate volition to show disrespect towards immoderate belief group aliases belief.

'They reiterated that their volition pinch nan Opening Ceremony was ever to observe organization and tolerance. The Organising Committee besides said that if anyone was offended by definite scenes, this was wholly unintentional and they were sorry.'

Sunday's apology came aft thousands of societal media users threatened to boycott nan Paris Games because of nan opening ceremony.

Enraged viewers took to X (formely Twitter) wherever '#boycottOlympics' and '#boycottParis2024' were seen trending complete nan people of nan pursuing day.

The quality of a 'naked bluish man' among a segment likened to nan Last Supper angered galore watching, particularly Christians.

One wrote: 'What a disgraceful opening to nan 2024 Olympics #BoycottOlympics.'

Another declared they 'didn't moreover attraction astir nan Olympics' but were now '100 per cent boycotting'.

But reverend Benjamin Cremer, based successful nan US, later shared a station that dispelled nan allegation that nan arguable segment featuring resistance queens was mocking Leonardo da Vinci's classical coating and truthful Christianity.

Cremer's station read: 'It was a practice of nan arena called nan Feast of Dionysus. Greek God of festivity and feasting and ritual and theatre.'

'The Olympics are from Greek civilization and tradition. French civilization is profoundly rooted successful feasting and festivity and performing arts.'

According to Cremer's theory, nan segment depicted successful nan opening ceremonial was based connected a coating called 'Feast of nan Gods' by Johann Rottenhammer and Jan Bruegel, circa 1602.