Olympic Disappointment: Why Users Are Calling This the Worst Opening Ceremony Ever

Why Do Users Say That The Olympics Opening Ceremony Was ‘the Worst Opening Ceremony In History’?

Expectations were high when the 2024 Summer Olympics got underway in Paris to much fanfare.
However, spectators expressed their dissatisfaction on social media very quickly, calling it the “worst opening ceremony in history.”
The widespread criticism and debate stem from a combination of artistic choices and Christianity.

The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, the official name for the 2024 Summer Olympics, are presently taking place in Paris, France. The Summer Olympics are being held in Paris for the third time this year, from July 26 to August 11. The previous two editions of the games took place in 1900 and 1924.

Thousands of athletes descended in Paris for the much awaited event, which got underway in grand style with an opening ceremony. Both critics and fans expressed disapproval of the opening ceremony despite the great expectations.

Tony Estanguet, the president of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, made a statement before to the competition. Former Olympic canoeist Estanguet expressed his excitement about tying sports, emotion, spectacle, water, and ecology together because they are all very meaningful to him.

The program’s director, Thomas Jolly, was his collaborator. Jolly was determined not to tamper with the aquatic life’s natural environment on the Seine. The primary waterway in Paris, the Seine, replaced the traditional Olympic Summer Games tracks of the past.

Jolly acknowledged that he was anxious about a lot of things, but he was excited about the massive project and his ideas. He was nonetheless committed to moving forward methodically and putting on an outstanding opening ceremony.

Even with the organizers’ best efforts and greatest intentions, some individuals expressed their disgust on social media, labeling the event as the worst opening ceremony in history. This dissatisfaction persisted even after the incident was recognized as historic.

For the first time in the Olympic Summer Games’ history, the opening ceremony took place outside of a stadium. Viewers and attendees witnessed a vibrant parade stroll through the center of the French city, in contrast to earlier ones where athletes battled out along the athletics track.

About 10,500 athletes were transported down the Seine in about 100 boats. Because of its outdoor idea and massive attendance and geographic reach, the 2024 opening ceremony was also the largest.

Each boat in this innovative idea contained delegates from each country. To guarantee that viewers on the internet could watch the athletes up close, the boats were outfitted with cameras.

The athletes crossed the heart of Paris en route from the east to the west of the Seine. The last parts of the Olympic ritual and closing performances took place in front of the Trocadéro, when the parade finished its 6-kilometer circuit.

Maud Le Pladec, the ceremony’s choreographer, said that dancers were stationed on each bridge along the procession route. Out of the 3000 artists that participated in the opening ceremony, she led the 400 dancers and would be at the closing one as well.

Athletes, fans, and television watchers afterwards took in a breathtaking concert that featured performances by Céline Dion, Lady Gaga, and Aya Nakamura.

Many were enthralled by Dion’s debut performance following her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis. The world was eagerly awaiting her comeback to the stage, and it did not disappoint.

The audience at the Trocadéro and along the Seine burst into cheers when she made her appearance on the balcony of the Eiffel Tower to round off the incredible evening. Paris was enthralled by the singer’s performance of “L’Hymne à l’amour,” a tribute to the famous song by Edith Piaf.

Celine Dion’s voice boomed above the continuous hammering of raindrops as the rain continued to pour. Her performance took on an otherworldly feel as a result of the dramatic backdrop the downpour generated.

This stirring rendition paid tribute to the ageless masterpiece. It also honored Paris and the beauty that France embodies, as well as the distinguished careers of two great vocalists.

Dion brought the incredible opening ceremony to a close with this stunning, emotionally packed climax, leaving the globe with a memory to treasure. She started discussions on social media, with many praising her remarkable vocals and her progress.

Some singers sung with unrelenting passion and intensity despite the rainy weather. They interacted and communicated with the audience, generating a frenetic energy that was felt through the rain.

Athletes may have needed to add rain ponchos and umbrellas in their clothes due to the intense downpour. Still, the colorful parade of boats celebrating French sport, art, and history was unabated.

Despite the bad weather, many people showed their tenacity and excitement by congregating to celebrate the beginning of the games. In order to protect themselves from the rain during the Paris Summer Olympics opening ceremony, dignitaries and delegates put on ponchos.

As this was going on, other guests braved the cold by sitting under umbrellas on the tarmac roads and wearing warm clothing to ward off the damp and chilly weather.

Online users were unimpressed with the opening ceremony, despite the event organizers’ confidence that the day would end successfully despite the rain.

“To be honest, this opening ceremony for the Olympic Games is the worst I’ve seen in a long time. Really, this is so weird! 😕,” a user bemoaned.

The organization was attacked by another user, who said, “This is probably the worst #OpeningCeremony in contemporary history. Why are the cameras not protected from the rain? The angles are awful, if it’s not blurry. dull, cheesy-looking, and jumbled.”

One user said that the incident had shamed France. “I’m actually embarrassed on the behalf of France, this is going down as the worst opening ceremony in history,” the individual wrote.

“This is the worst opening ceremony I’ve seen so far at an Olympics,” commented a person, noting that they didn’t think the event was as historic as it was billed. In agreement, another internet user merely said, “The worst opening ceremony ever.”

Saying, “I’m sorry, but this has to be the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory,” other commenters attacked the idea of holding the ceremony outside of the stadium. Although sending the athletes in on boats is an intriguing concept, it looks awful and muffles the noise of the audience. I’m sorry, but not for me.

A user made the observation that a large amount of the Olympic Opening Ceremony was rehearsed video because of the bad weather. Nevertheless, they asked, “Why was the sound mixing so bad? That was old film, so they might have adjusted it just right for television. but failed to do so.”

Another person attributed the poor experience to the sound, writing, “This was the most boring Olympic ceremony I have ever witnessed, #OpeningCeremony.” The sound quality from @BBCOne was terrible, but the light show more than made up for it. ‘Get on with it!’ is all I can think.

Someone agreed with this opinion, “The sound was atrocious as there was a relentless track of pelting rain throughout much of it & the best I can say about it was it was over ambitious.”

Christians expressed their opinions about the opening ceremony as well, claiming that it was a mockery of Christianity. At the ceremony, drag queens performed a scene in which a noticeably plump woman wearing a halo crown sat at a table, seemingly mocking the classic picture of the Last Supper.

Many Christians, like Bishop Robert Barron, who expressed his opinions in a video uploaded on X, felt offended by this representation. What he saw was a “gross mockery of the Last Supper.”

“France felt evidently, as it’s trying to put its best cultural foot forward, that the right thing to do is to mock this very central moment in Christianity,” said Barron.

The French Catholic Church likewise applauded the Olympic organizers for their joyful and beautiful spectacle, but denounced their mockery of Christianity.

“This ceremony unfortunately included scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity, which we deeply regret,” the statement they released said. We are grateful to everyone from other faith traditions who have shown their support for us.”

Like-minded Speaker Mike Johnson commented on X, saying, “Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.”

The event’s contentious theme, according to Kyle Becker, was noted. He saw that “The opening ceremony was filled with transgend*r mockery of the Last Supper, the Golden Calf idol, and even the Pale Horse from the Book of Revelation.”

The independent journalist added that it appeared that Christian viewers were not welcome at the Paris Olympics.

A privately held telecoms business called C Spire also contributed to the conversation. “We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the Paris Olympic opening ceremonies,” they declared. We at C Spire will no longer be running Olympic advertisements.”

Some internet users, though, held different opinions. Someone said that, “A Dutch art historian explains it’s not the last supper but a Dutch painting of the Olympic gods.”

He continued by saying that, given Apollo’s frequently more feminine portrayal, one could argue that the image of Apollo as a plus-sized woman could be interpreted as an affront to pagan gods.

One user who concurred with this statement clarified that the organizers were inspired by the picture “The Feast of the Gods.”

It was made in the seventeenth century by the Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert and is kept at the Musée Magnin in Dijon, France. The user clarified that Sequana, the goddess of the Seine, is the daughter of Dionysus, who is portrayed in the image.

An further user elucidated that the portrayal of a Dutch artwork featuring the Olympic Gods enjoying a feast was quite appropriate, given the historical background of the Olympics.

“In my opinion, it’s right on theme✨. It’s not a representation of the Last Supper and has nothing Christian in it at all. Wouldn’t make sense in any case xx👀,” the user continued.

Another statement from the Olympic Games Official X page read, “The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

As Jolly had said before to the Olympic Games, the organizers did not want to create a great deal of divide with the opening ceremony. Instead, they wanted to make sure that everyone felt included.

Paris, for all its chaos, had space for everyone, in his opinion. Jolly felt that if the opening ceremony could create a sense of inclusivity for everyone, then it was a success.

Following the outcry from Christians, Jolly clarified that he had not intended to make fun of the Last Supper when he planned the opening ceremony.

The scenario, according to the creative director, showed Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration, during a large paganic party connected to the gods of Olympus.

Paris 2024 spokesman Anne Descamps further underlined that disrespecting any religious community was never the goal.

Celebrating community tolerance was the aim of the inaugural ceremony. “We think this goal was accomplished. We sincerely apologize if anyone has been offended,” she said.

Others described it as the worst opening ceremony ever, in spite of the organizers’ best efforts and labors to create a memorable and inclusive event.

Those who identify as Christians in particular accused the show of making fun of religious themes. Others, however, defended the creative interpretation, citing Greek mythology as inspiration.

In the end, the ceremony’s goal of embracing diversity and representation ran into difficulties, which left a divided audience with differing perspectives on its accomplishment.