What are we doing?
The 2024 Olympics Games got underway this afternoon in Paris, France, kicking things off with the always interesting Opening Ceremony. Of course, this is the part where each country gets to introduce fans around the world to their Olympic athletes, while also showing off their style, culture, and creativity.
Team USA once again kept it pretty clean with Ralph Lauren suits (they’ve been rocking RL since 2008), as they battled the rain sailing down the Seine River. Basketball legend LeBron James handled the flag carrying duties for Team USA, along with tennis star Coco Gauff:
LeBron becomes the first male basketball player in history to bear the Team USA flag at an Olympic opening ceremony 🐐🔥 pic.twitter.com/mJ9vLsK1Rh
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) July 26, 2024
The Opening Ceremony is also where the host country gets to put on a little performance, once again to show off its style, culture, history and creativity, and let’s just say… what the hell was that? Like seriously…
If you’re not familiar, here’s a few examples of Athens in 2004 and London in 2012:
The Athens 2004 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony was a magnificent spectacle that paid homage to Greece's rich history and cultural heritage. pic.twitter.com/HoHZ2RyyvF
— Game of X (@froggyups) April 1, 2024
The Olympics opening ceremony in France brings me back to the 2012 opening ceremony in London. The Industrial Revolution sequence remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. This music is perfect, I had it on my iPod for years pic.twitter.com/7hZgy697Bk
— Max Marriner (@MrMaxMarriner) July 26, 2024
And then we have Paris, France, just a few hours ago…
Wtf is going on at the Olympics opening ceremony? pic.twitter.com/rWIjH8ZVwP
— Harrison Faulkner (@Harry__Faulkner) July 26, 2024
Shout out to the Paris Olympics #OpeningCeremony for me having to explain to my children what a Ménage à trois is. pic.twitter.com/ivMhpzuEh4
— Vance Lucas (@vlucas) July 26, 2024
Over 1 Billion people around the world are watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
And this is the best France could do.
See Also5 takeaways from the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics | CNN2024 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony RecapLeBron James im Porträt: Vermögen, seine Frau und die GOAT-FrageWhen Is It Time to Step Aside? - FreakonomicsA man dressed as a Smurf surrounded by drag queens and a plus sized woman with a giant crown. pic.twitter.com/E4QHkwwFES
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) July 26, 2024
What the hell is going on at the Olympics? pic.twitter.com/VY3pNyP9wX
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 26, 2024
And this one… although dark and a bit satanic, the nod to the French Revolution featuring a headless Marie Antionette with music from French metal band Gojira was pretty damn cool. Shooting blood everywhere, jamming out on the side of a castle, mixing in some music from Bizet’s Carmen with opera singer Marina Viotti… it was pretty damn cool. Highlight of the show for sure.
This part of #OpeningCeremony with French band Gojira was badass 🤘pic.twitter.com/v6dWDorPM0
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) July 26, 2024
But overall, a number of viewers found the mocking of the Last Supper to be quite disrespectful. And it is. C’mon… it’s utterly tasteless and antagonistic. And here’s the kicker… Paris is also home to over 2 million Muslims, the largest of any city in Europe. Would they ever think to mock Islam or the Quran like that? Of course not. That would be so wrong… they would never.
A number of folks took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to voice their disgust:
The Last Supper is currently being mocked at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics in France by Radical Leftists.
We are fighting pure evil. pic.twitter.com/gQaJ3LAEZJ
— Cillian (@CilComLFC) July 26, 2024
Some weirdos did this satanic mockery of the Last Supper at the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris.
In other news, Jesus is King✞#OpeningCeremony #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/wkEHm69KjU
— GOATED (@aGOATEDaccount) July 26, 2024
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.
Overt pagan and satanic symbolism. pic.twitter.com/YImWfFDekB
— Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) July 26, 2024
I don’t even have words for this.
This is the opening ceremony at the Olympics in France. These drag queens made a demonic mockery of the Last Supper.
We’re in a spiritual battle. 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/s6Y7vakggW
— Lori Love (@thereallorilove) July 26, 2024
The French have parodied the Last Supper at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris.
Only Christians face this level of constant ridicule and mockery, as our enemies fear the gospel.
Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/kOe4MQw1zy
— Disciples Of Christ (@ChristSavesUK) July 26, 2024
Just so you know… during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Macron and his team parodied the Last Supper scene with drag queens and a fat woman crowned with an aureole…#Olympics pic.twitter.com/8KwEB59AiD
— Hermine (@olilunee) July 26, 2024
Personally, I've found the "EVERYTHING IS SATANIC!" argument to be an exhausting eye roll most of the time.
That said ––this Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony "Last Supper" Recreation ain't beating the allegations. pic.twitter.com/jX8RrYxiHv
— Julian Dorey (@julianddorey) July 26, 2024
Is it just me, or does it appear as though the Paris Olympics opening ceremony had drag queens recreating the last supper… pic.twitter.com/vSBISAPAPe
— AnnaZ (@AnnaZ) July 26, 2024
wtf? the Olympic opening ceremony just used drag queens to mock the The Last Supper
— Andy Powlas (@andypowlas) July 26, 2024
Even a French member of the European Parliament made a point to offer an apology of sorts:
To all the Christians of the world who are watching the #Paris2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation. #notinmyname
À tous les chrétiens du monde… pic.twitter.com/GusP2TR63u
— Marion Maréchal (@MarionMarechal) July 26, 2024
Stay tuned… I’m sure this won’t be the last of it…
Michael Phelps Gets Fired Up After Australian Swimmer Bashes Team USA
Michael Phelps racked up twenty-three gold medals during his unprecedented, unmatched swimming career in the Summer Olympics. Beyond the freakish athleticism, tireless competitive drive, and endurance it takes to be in peak physical form for that long, Phelps had the added incentive of rivalries created with other countries.
Team USA dwarfs all other countries when it comes to swimming medals, but let’s be honest, it helps that the U.S. as a territory is so much bigger than most nations. Australia is second on the all-time medal table, so naturally, a rivalry has sparked between the countries in this particular Olympic discipline over the years.
At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, Australia emerged with more golds (13 to seven) than Team USA. However, the Americans had more medals with a 38-25 edge, prompting Australian swimmer Cate Campbell to take serious issue with how the U.S. was portraying their version of events.
Here’s a brief bit of what Campbell had to say about Team USA being sore losers during that 2023 interview, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald:
“Australia coming out on top of the world is one thing, but it is just so much sweeter beating America. […] Bring on Paris. That’s all I have to say to the US. Stop being sore losers.
When we’re right next to each other in the warm-up area, the US has this infernal cowbell that they ring, and as someone leaves to go to the competition pool, they ring out ‘U-S-A, U-S-A’ and I have never wanted to punch someone more and steal that cowbell.”
Now that the final Olympic trials are underway ahead of the incoming Paris Summer Games, Campbell’s video is making the rounds. A clip of it made its way to Phelps, who immediately got irked with a raw, impromptu reaction:
“I would make them eat every word they said about me.”
Michael Phelps got FIRED UP about the USA vs. Australia swimming rivalry ahead of the #ParisOlympics. pic.twitter.com/57cKaLvgtE
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 21, 2024
Phelps said he would “lose it” if someone said that to him, and I don’t blame him. He also makes reference to the times Aussie adversaries like Ian Thorpe would talk trash before a race, only to watch the evergreen result of Phelps raising his hands in triumph at the end play out.
Unfortunately for Campbell, she missed out on the 2024 Olympics for failing to qualify, leading to her recent retirement at age 32. Australia’s big hitter on the women’s side is Kaylee McKeown, who’s a world record-holding backstroke specialist and has a shot to win in the 50m, 100m and 200m. McKeown took gold in all those events at the 2023 World Championships.
Regarding the substance of Campbell’s criticism, it just sounds like somebody who has years of jealous rage built up due to Phelps and USA swimmers of his ilk dominating Australia more often than not. In each of the last eight Summer Games, the United States has finished as the top nation in swimming. That’s gotta sting! I get it.
My personal opinion on cowbell, though? You can never have enough of it.
