The Paris Olympics organizing committee has apologized for the scandalous skit during the opening ceremony

“Of course, there was no intention to disrespect any religious group. On the contrary, I think Thomas Jolly wanted to celebrate the tolerance of society,” Descamp said at a briefing of the International Olympic Committee. “If anyone was offended by this, we are of course very sorry.”

In addition, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) previously removed a video with highlights of the opening ceremony from the organization’s official website and YouTube channel.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics was criticised for a scene parodying Leonardo da Vinci’s fresco “The Last Supper”, in which men dressed as women portrayed Jesus and his disciples.

According to Le Figaro, the French Episcopal Conference deplored the scenes of “mockery and ridicule of Christians.”

US-based C Spire has pulled out of advertising at the Olympics, saying it was “shocked by the mockery of ‘The Last Supper’ during the opening ceremony.” Billionaire Elon Musk also called the performance “a display of blatant disrespect towards Christians.”

The failed parody of The Last Supper is not the only mistake for which the IOC has had to apologise. During the opening ceremony, the South Korean delegation was introduced as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea instead of the Republic of Korea in English and French.

The organization said in a statement that IOC President Thomas Bach apologized to South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, attributing the mistake to human error.

Photo: IOC