A Christian Response to 2024 Olympics

This is an address to Christians, and an apology to those with other beliefs and worldviews for the representation Christian’s had through the Olympics 2024. 

Representation is a powerful thing. It is when one thing symbolizes another, sometimes with a specific angle of meaning. The opening ceremonies of the Olympics always has representations of what the games mean. In Paris 2024, they had many powerful representations of Paris and their history of conflict, struggle, and unity with 12 tableaus that had meaning to the nation and the world. 

Every nation has their story and their stories make up stereotypes, Thomas Jolly, as the artistic director of the ceremonies, said “we’re going to play with all those cliches, but we’re also going to challenge them” (Nouvain, 2024). He wanted to show the world what France is really like. Sure we have our stereotypes and they can be correct representations in some way, but they are usually not the full picture. So Jolly sought to use and challenge them.

In the eighth tableau, Jolly shows the significant festivities France enjoys. France is known for wine and fashion and Jolly had a fashion show display this with a blue man on a silver platter with grapes representing the greek god Dionysus, the god of wine and pleasure appear at the end. “Why is he there?” Goodfellow quotes Jolly. “First and foremost because he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology and the tableau is called ‘Festival.’”

Loic Padovani writes, “…he [Jolly] reinterprets the areas in which the county shines around the world to shape it in his own way.” He is looking at France and what they are known for, using the cliches the world knows and what the Olympics are. The Olympics originated in Greece and Jolly is “‘keen on the Greeks,’ and Jolly said he would include reference to Ancient Greek mythology in the Ceremony” (Izzy, 2024).

A specific word that catches my eye in these quotes is when Padovani says “reinterprets.” Christians talk about interpretation all the time as we hold the ancient Bible as the Word of God. You could find many interpretations on one passage among Christians. Each one having arguments for each interpretation (I am not talking about contradictions). But we have become accustom to interpreting passages how we want and feel while reading it. We forget to do more research, maybe because that takes time and effort we don’t have when it isn’t our job. An example of research is to look into the author’s intent. That is, what is the author trying to get across when they wrote to the specific people within their context. My point is that when Christian’s watched the opening ceremonies they interpreted the runway fashion show as the “last supper” painting by Leonardo DaVinci.

The reason they come to this interpretation is because they saw a line of people standing on either side of a central person with what looked like a table, which ended up being a display for Dionysus. But as the event continued to unfold, you saw more people on the other side of the table. Then more, the table was actually a runway for the fashion show and the one person standing in the centre was the DJ, Barbara Butch, for the show. She represented Apollo, “In a now-inaccessible Instagram story, Butch said she was the Greek God of the Sun, Apollo, and references Jan van Bijlert’s painting “the feast of the God” (Izzy, 2024). 

Another example was in the ninth Tableau when a rider and his metal horse gallops across the Seine. Later he comes in on land riding a real white horse. Some Christians looked at this and saw the pale horse with the rider named death from Revelation 6. I found this interpretation quite ridiculous because the announcers of the opening ceremonies explicitly told the viewers that the horse represented peace and the idea of the whole ceremonies was “to create a ceremony that heals and a ceremony that reconciles, but also … that reaffirms the values which are those of our Republic of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and absolutely not to mock anyone.” With the war going on and other controversial fights around the world, Jolly wanted to make peace using the Olympics. People from around the world come and watch these games and he used it for the purpose of attempting reconciliation and peace. 

These are the representation they wanted from the performance in the open ceremonies and we do not get the right to reinterpret it just because we see something else. As humans, we are influenced by what we read, hear, believe and think about. So when two people look at the same thing their minds can interpret from their library within their brains. What our responsibility is, however, is to insure we know the meaning of the author, then we can engage properly and accurately. 

Furthermore, as Christians, we know the rest of the world (as any relationship of any religion to the rest of the world) believes and values different things. To be offended when the rest of the world does something that does not line up with the way we believe and think, is absurd. Especially when the intent was not what we interpreted.

To the Christian, we have different views within this world and look towards the upwards call of God the Father in Jesus Christ (Phil 3:14). We have citizenship in heaven (Phil 3:20) as we live on earth and need not ultimately worry about what goes on of those who value the earthly worldviews. We are to be a beacon of how life looks under God, not expecting the world to live under God as we ought. engaging them with challenging love and comforting grace. 

Do you not know that you died with Christ? and when he rose, you rose with him?(Rom 6:8-10) and rising with him we are gifted with the Advocate (Acts 1:8). And what is the reason this all began? That Christ had joy before him even as he endured the cross (Her 12:2). Loving humanity, even as we disobeyed him. Unified with God are we not to do the same?! Of course, stemming from his glorious grace, submit yourself to his will and love those Christ came and died for.

And I remind you of what Christ did while he was accused and persecuted? He stayed silent (Is 53:7) and continued his mission for it was his Father’s will he was accomplishing (Matt 26:42). If you are offended by their performance then having confidence in your mind, do not attend or watch but do so quietly, ensuring you have no quarrel with the world (1 Thes 4:11-12 + Rom 12:18).
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To the non-believer, it is our standard to show you the love of Christ through the way we live and we will (or should) always have an answer for the hope that lives in us (1 Pt 3:15). Unfortunately we have become too proud in OUR own interpretations and I apologize on behalf of the response of my brothers and sisters. Fortunately this is what our religion and relationship with Jesus Christ is built on, we are sinners and saved from our offences by Christ’s actions and from that we ought to be working towards Christ-likeness. 

1. Nouvain, Tom. How Olympics Opening Ceremony Artistic Director Thomas Jolly is Capturing the Essence of France. Associated Press. https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/how-olympics-opening-ceremony-artistic-director-thomas-jolly-is-capturing-the-essence-of-france/amp/
2. Izzy, Jack. Olympic Opening Ceremony Featured daVinci’s ‘Last Supper’?2024. https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/07/30/olympics-last-supper/
3. Padovani, Loic. Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. 2024. https://olympics.com/en/news/opening-ceremony-paris-2024-olympics-glory-thomas-joly-artistic-director-event
4. Goodfellow, Melanie. Olympics Opening Ceremony Artistic SagaControversial Tableau Was Not Inspired By ‘Last Supper’ – Update. 2024. Deadline. https://deadline.com/2024/07/olympics-opening-ceremony-artistic-director-intention-mock-or-shock-1236024601/

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