July 29 (DailyMail) – The official video of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony appears to have been deleted from the Olympics account as viewers’ backlash grows – with fans flocking to praise the London 2012 showcase, which remains online.
Social media users shared a screenshot of the organisation’s footage, which showed a blank screen with the caption ‘this video is not available’.
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Meanwhile, the show also does not appear to be on their YouTube channel – despite there being coverage of the games both before and after the ceremony.
And full-length versions of the ceremonies for London 2012, Rio 2016, Beijing 2022 and even Nagano 1998 are all available.
Neither the Olympics nor the Paris games have given any reason for this apparent omission. Both have been contacted for comment.
It comes after the event was dubbed the ‘worst ever’ and sparked backlash as it was carried out amid appalling weather.
Among the various artistic tableaus, named after French values such as freedom, fraternity and equality, it was the last supper-style performance in ‘festivité’ – or party – scene which caused the most controversy.
Complete with models, dancers, fashion icons and drag queens from the host nation, the performance took place on a bridge over the capital’s river around a table, which also doubled as a catwalk.
At the centre was a woman in front of DJ equipment with a golden halo-style crown, surrounded by several drag queens and dozens of dancers and performers.
A fashion show which showcased clothing designed by some of France’s most promising young designers took centre stage, as those seated on either side performed slick choreography.
Among those present was Drag Race icon Nicky Doll, who has appeared on the French franchise, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World and now hosts France’s own version.
Although also hampered by hard-to-hear music, many young people and fans of the popular TV show took to social media to praise the tableau, which aimed to echo the atmosphere of a nightclub and featured dancing and lip-syncing on the soaking-wet stage.
But others were less impressed, accusing organisers of creating a ‘woke’ parody of the Last Supper – a painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Jesus’ last meal with his disciples.
The curtain-raiser was also blighted by several gaffes, including issues with country names and the Olympic flag accidentally raised upside down.
Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who has come under criticism for his conservative beliefs, including towards his own daughter, wrote on X – formerly Twitter – claimed the performance was ‘extremely disrespectful to Christians’.
He added: ‘Christianity has become toothless.’
Reacting to the event, Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, from the US, posted a video online and said: ‘I love the Olympics, so I turn on the opening ceremony of the Olympics. And what do I see now? It’s in Paris, France, a city I love, I spent three years as a doctoral student there.
‘I see this gross mockery of the last supper and I won’t describe it any further.’
Later in the show, the most bizarre moment of the night saw a giant platter bedecked in fake fruits and other foods – with a ‘smurf’ resting among them.
The man, dressed in a skintight blue bodysuit that left very little to the imagination, was dressed as the Greek God of wine, festivity and theatre, Dionysus, who was later unveiled to be French actor and singer Phillippe Katerine.
Today, he laughed off the criticism, telling BFM TV: ‘It wouldn’t be fun if there were no controversy. Wouldn’t it be boring if everyone agreed on this planet?’
Viewers reported poor audio caused by the near-torrential rain and even joked online that organisers needed to ‘stop the boats’.
Fans online were left unimpressed by the unique approach to the opening ceremony, with one writing: ‘I’m sorry but this is the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory.
‘It’s an interesting idea bringing the athletes in on boats but it looks rubbish and misses the roar of the crowd. Sorry but not for me.’
Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched as 6,800 athletes covered in plastic ponchos attempted to keep their spirits high as they travelled down the river Seine in a huge flotilla of 85 boats.
Performances from Lady Gaga and approximately 3,000 dancers, acrobats and actors were hard to hear over the sound of rain, with viewers slamming it as ‘the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory’.
The show garnered a mixed reception from the UK and foreign press.
The New York Times scathingly called it a ‘bloated made-for-TV spectacle’, with the New York Post labelling it ‘boring, ill-conceived and choppy’.
Even within France the reception was muted, with Le Figaro saying the show was ‘great but some of it was just too much’.
Gaffes with country names, the mounting of the Olympic flag and bizarre scenes which saw as headless Marie Antoinette singing peppered the display last night as sport begins in earnest this morning.
At one point, as the long line of boats filled with athletes made its way down the Seine, an embarrassing moment saw South Korea labelled North Korea by the announcers.
As the South Korean delegation sailed down the Seine River, they were introduced with the official name for North Korea: ‘Republique populaire democratique de Coree’ in French, then ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ in English.
The IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account: ‘We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony.’
The Paris Olympics have been contacted for comment.
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