Paris Olympics organizers apologize over Last Supper parody at opening ceremony

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued on Sunday a formal apology following complaints about a segment in the opening ceremony that featured a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.

The scene, which included drag queens reinterpreting Jesus Christ’s final meal with his disciples, has been deemed deeply offensive by the Catholic Church.

In a statement, the IOC emphasized that there was never any intention to show disrespect to any religious group.

"Clearly there was never intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, we intended to show tolerance and community. If people have taken any offence then we are sorry,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference.

"And looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was, was achieved," she added, referring to polls saying 86% of the French population thought the opening ceremony was a success.