The Opening Ceremony Went All Out... This Time, a Body Exposure Incident Causes Controversy [Paris Olympics]

Religious Circles Criticize Some Opening Ceremony Scenes
Rapid Spread of These Scenes on SNS

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics created a spectacular scene with an unprecedented water parade in Olympic history, but controversy has arisen after it was confirmed that part of a male performer's genitalia was exposed during the controversial 'Dionysus' sequence. On the 29th, foreign media such as the Daily Mail and NDTV reported that during the Dionysus sequence at the opening ceremony held on the Seine River in Paris, part of a man's scrotum was exposed beneath his shorts.

On the 29th, foreign media outlets such as the Daily Mail and NDTV reported that part of a man's scrotum was exposed below his shorts during the Dionysus sequence at the opening ceremony held on the Seine River in Paris.
[Photo by NDTV]

The Dionysus sequence featured French actor and singer Philippe Catherine, who was painted blue from head to toe and appeared leaning sideways on a bed of colorful flowers, singing his new song "Naked (Nu)," which humorously and poetically conveyed the absurdity of violence. People behind him danced slowly to the rhythm of the song. The official Olympic account added an interpretation of the performance, stating, "The Greek god Dionysus makes us realize the absurdity of violence among humans."

This sequence was a satire of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," and many reacted negatively, calling it "an insult to Christianity." While some expressed positive opinions, many comments such as "Who put Papa Smurf up there?", "Could it get any worse? It feels like Avatar met the Smurfs remake," and "Is this really France?" dominated, fueling the controversy.

As the controversy grew, the Olympic organizing committee stated, "There was never any intention to insult any religious group, and we sincerely apologize to those who felt offended," and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) removed the related video from its official YouTube channel. Meanwhile, a netizen watching the sequence on video discovered that a man dressed as a drag queen standing behind Dionysus was exposing his testicles through his pants, intensifying the debate. It was also confirmed that a child was standing near the man, which has further fueled public criticism.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.