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Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Democracy Dies in Darkness Olympics 2024Live updates Olympics guide Schedule Medal tracker How to watch Athletes to watch Olympics 2024Live updates Olympics guide Schedule Medal tracker How to watch Athletes to watch PARIS OLYMPICS ORGANIZERS SORRY FOR LAST SUPPER AT OPENING CEREMONIES The tableau included a woman in the role of Jesus and drag queens and gay icons as disciples. It was crashed by a man in blue as Dionysus, the Greek god of revelry. 2 min 5339 Sorry, a summary is not available for this article at this time. Please try again later. French singer and actor Philippe Katerine performs as Dionysus on a giant screen during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. (Ludovic Marin/AP) By Anika Arora Seth July 28, 2024 at 10:28 p.m. EDT Organizers of the Paris Olympics apologized on Sunday for a performance during Friday’s Opening Ceremonies that featured an apparent reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” amid mixed messages about the piece’s intent. Subscribe for unlimited access to The Post You can cancel anytime. Subscribe The tableau included a woman with a halo-like crown in the role of Jesus as well as drag queens and gay icons as disciples; it was crashed by a scantily clad blue man wearing a headdress of fruit — Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility, wine and revelry. Church leaders and some conservative politicians condemned the performance as a perversion of the scene, recounted in the Bible, on the eve of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Story continues below advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday called the performance a “mockery [that] was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world.” A U.S. telecommunications firm, C Spire, said it was pulling its advertising from the Summer Games. The French Conference of Catholic Bishops also objected. Advertisement Skip to end of carousel GET THE LATEST UPDATES ON THE 2024 OLYMPICS (Washington Post illustration) Track all the Paris Olympic medal counts country by country. Get live updates from Paris and keep up with the latest by signing up for The Sports Moment: Olympics Edition. End of carousel In the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper, Jesus shares bread and wine with his disciples and instructs them to eat and drink in his memory — the basis for the Eucharist, or Communion, the central worship ritual in many Christian denominations. 🎾 Follow Sports Follow Organizers apologized during the Games’ daily news conference on Sunday. “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters. “If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.” Story continues below advertisement On Friday, shortly after the performance, the Olympics posted photos of the blue man on X. “The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings,” the post reads. It doesn’t mention the Last Supper, and some on social media insisted that the performance depicted a Dionysian feast. Advertisement “The idea was to do a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus,” Opening Ceremonies choreographer Thomas Jolly told the Paris-based BFM network on Sunday, according to France 24. “You’ll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone.” But organizers reportedly acknowledged Sunday that Jolly “took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting.” “[Jolly] is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art,” Paris 2024 said in a statement to The Wrap. “From Andy Warhol to ‘The Simpsons,’ many have done it before him.” PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 SO FAR The Paris Olympics are officially underway after Friday’s daring Opening Ceremonies. Keep up with all the action by following us live, subscribing to our newsletter and listening to our podcast. How to watch: Keep up with all the Olympic events and TV listings with our daily schedule and find out how to tune in or where to subscribe to watch. If you’re new to the Olympics, we’ve got a guide for that. Medals: We’re tracking all the Olympic medals country by country, including firsts. U.S. athletes: Top Team USA athletes like Noah Lyles, Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are some of the athletes to watch, but there are some familiar faces that are missing this year. New this year: Breaking or break dancing is coming to the Olympic stage, while Paris also has a bold plan to host swimming events in the Seine. Share 5339 Comments More on the 2024 Paris Olympics HAND CURATED * Paris Olympics 2024 live updates: U.S. men’s gymnastics wins bronze; women’s basketball routs Japan July 29, 2024 Paris Olympics 2024 live updates: U.S. men’s gymnastics wins bronze; women’s basketball routs Japan July 29, 2024 * 9,800 miles from Paris, Olympic surfers take on Tahiti’s ‘wall of skulls’ July 29, 2024 9,800 miles from Paris, Olympic surfers take on Tahiti’s ‘wall of skulls’ July 29, 2024 * After an NBA career, he’s hanging on the beach … as an Olympian July 29, 2024 After an NBA career, he’s hanging on the beach … as an Olympian July 29, 2024 View 3 more stories NewsletterAs news breaks Sports Alerts Breaking news email alerts on major sports news. Sign up Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. 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