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“I Am Genuinely Disgusted”: The World Reacts To ‘Satanic’ Olympic Opening Ceremony

Aimee Edwards
Aimee Edwards
17 Min Read

The stage was set for what was anticipated to be a game-changing Olympic Opening ceremony. The Paris Olympics were the first to host the ceremony outside of a stadium, opening the spectacle up to the community as the Olympians paraded down the River Seine.

Unfortunately, many believed the ceremony did not deliver in the way it had been hyped. From confusion over an unidentified masked torch bearer to religious outrage, the opening to the Paris 2024 Olympics is being described on social media as the “worst, most pathetic, cringe-worthy and embarrassing ceremony” in Olympic history. 

So, let’s unpack how it all unfolded and how the world reacted!

Lady Gaga

The first in a series of surprises was Lady Gaga, taking centre stage enveloped in pink feathers. Gaga performed a Seine-side rendition of Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc En Plumes,” recreating Jeanmaire’s performance of the song on the Ed Sullivan Show. After descending the stairs, she kicked on a chorus line and played on a piano.

“Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music — I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth — Paris,” Gaga wrote in a post to Instagram.

The performance was described as “iconic” by a number of X users.

The high-intensity, feather-filled performance was pre-recorded due to concerns regarding the performer’s safety in the inclement weather.“We assessed that it was going to be too dangerous for performers, even with a few drops of rain. [Gaga] wanted to do it absolutely, so we preferred to pre-record it rather than cancel it,” said Olympic and Paralympic opening ceremony choreographer Maud le Pladec.

While most fans were delighted to see Gaga make a surprise appearance, some were disappointed with the performance, calling the pre-recording a “total let down” on social media.

Heavy Metal… at the Olympics?

France’s top metal band, Gojira, have made history, becoming the first Metal band to play at an Olympics Opening Ceremony. Just after the Les Miserables dedication, the camera focussed on a castle facade where a beheaded Marie Antoinette sung to the crowd. Switching gears, Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier appeared in one windowed areas. As the camera pulled back, the remaining members of the band came into view, performing from different sections of the castle.

Coordinated flames shot up around the band as synchronized smoke rose into the air.

Most were utterly delighted by the completely unexpected performance calling it the “best thing the French has ever done”.

Even the city’s rats were supposedly delighted with one viewer sharing this, cringe-worthy image. *B&T can not confirm or deny if this image was taken during the performance.

La Marseillaise

For many, it was one single voice that stole the show. Mezzo soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel stood atop the Grand Palais, adorned in the colours of France to perform a rendition of the country’s national anthem, La Marseillaise. Saint-Cirel sang the famous call to arms with drama and poise in a fresh arrangement of the anthem by the Games’ music director, multi-instrumentalist Victor le Masne.

Most agreed that it was a moment that simply would never be forgotten with many calling it the “best moment of the night”.

A tribute to French fashion

Fashion took centre stage during the four-hour ceremony with a runway performance showcasing the diversity of this year’s games and the unique nature of France’s fashion district. In one scene, the Debilly footbridge was transformed into a banquet, with the table doubling as a catwalk. Iconic model Farida Khelfa walked the runway in a Maitrepierre dress made entirely from waste from sorting and recovery centres, while trans model Raya Martigny walked in Gilles Asquin and model Ildjima Masrangar in a Weinsanto Spring/Summer 2024 dress and a gigantic Alsatian headdress, a nod to the model and the designer’s native region.

The reactions? Mixed to say the least. Some were absolutely delighted with the homage to French fashion.

Others… well, we’ll let this post speak for itself.

Imagine… a float on fire

John Lennon’s Imagine has been an Olympic essential since Stevie Wonder performed it at the 1996 Atlanta Games in memory of the victims of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. This year, the song was performed by French singer Juliette Armanet, accompanied by pianist Sofiane Pamart on board a float on the Seine that appeared to be crumbling while Pamart’s piano was alight with flames.

@alexal_ptJohn Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ receives star-studded | Paris 2024 Olympic Games 🎵😍 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬: 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐥_𝐏𝐓 🥰 #alexal_pt #reactionvideo #youtubechannels #johnlennon #imagine #Paris2024 #OlympicGames #Olympics #HomeofOlympics #paris #france #og♬ som original – Alexal_PT

The stunning moment sent chills across the world. “This should be the last opening ceremony ever. No one is going to top this!” one X user proclaimed.

Celine Dion is back

The final torch-lighting sequence closed with Charles Coste, the oldest living French Olympic champion, receiving the flame from the French athletes who carried it up from the river. He hands the torch over to the final flame-lighters who carry it across a small bridge and to the base of the hot-air balloon.

And then… as the balloon rises into the night, French-Canadian singer Celine Dion suddenly appears at the base of the Eiffel Tower, glittering in a white gown, belting out an incredible rendition of Edith Piaf’s “Hymn to Love” with a live pianist next to her.

“So full of joy to be back in one of my very favourite cities,” Dion said in a post to X.

After a recent diagnosis of Stiff-Person Syndrome and fears she would never be able to perform again, it was a breathtaking moment that, honestly, just couldn’t be faulted.

Who is the masked torch bearer

Throughout the entire four-hour ceremony, one question was on everyone’s lips: Just who was the mysterious masked torch bearer? The ceremony opened with a video montage of football icon Zinedine Zidane carrying the Olympic torch on its final leg before handing it over to a masked figure wrapped in robes, reminiscent of the main character from the Assassin’s Creed video game.

Who Is the Masked Torch Bearer at 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony?

The figure then parkoured its way across France’s iconic rooftops, carrying the torch with it. But sadly, the mysterious masked man was never to be unmasked, leaving X a buzz with outrage and speculation.

The Last Supper controversy

We couldn’t cover the reactions to the Opening Ceremony without mentioning this… a scene that many thought resembled a modern re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting. The performance featured French actor and singer Philippe Katerine as the Greek god Dionysus painted blue and wearing little more than a bunch of flowers covering his modesty.

The moment caused fury among the religious right across the world, with critics unhappy about what they believed to be a depiction of the Last Supper featuring drag performers.

Many religious activists took to social media, condemning the performance, including Jenna Ellis, former 2020 campaign attorney to Donald Trump, who called it an “overt pagan and satanic symbolism”.

“In this scene from the Olympic opening ceremony, the famous painting of The Last Supper is recreated, but Jesus is replaced with an obese woman, while queer and trans figures (including a child!) depict her apostles,” she said.

Others were just plain confused by the outrage, with many claiming it was obvious that the scene was a depiction of France’s rich and diverse culture, and not an attack on the religious community.

The Olympic Committee confirmed that the display was not, in fact a depiction of the last super but instead of the Greek God Dionysus with the aim to raise awareness “of the absurdity of violence between human beings”.

Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony defended his artistic choices when asked about the motivations behind the scene. “When we want to include everyone and not exclude anyone, questions are raised”.

“Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together,” he said. “We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are a republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey”.

The committee has since apologised for the depiction. “Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference. “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence, we are really sorry”.

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Aimee Edwards
By Aimee Edwards
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Aimee is a journalist and writer of all things media and advertising. Aimee is also a self-published author with a passion for stories with a focus on mental health, sport, DE&I and the environment. Prior to joining B&T, Aimee worked as a media researcher, writing about emerging changes and trends in the media industry and heading up research projects, the most notable centering around the representation of female voices in the sports media industry.

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