A group of nearly 20 GOP senators urged the Olympics this week to clean up its act following the opening ceremony of the Paris Games that featured a controversial drag show parody modeled after “The Last Supper.”
In a letter, led by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and addressed to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, the Republican lawmakers called for tweaking the Olympic charter to avoid future performances that mock Christianity or any other faith.
“We write in response to the vulgar mockery of the Christian faith on display at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Games should unite people of every country, race, and creed,” the senators said. “There is no place for anti-Christian bigotry at an event designed to bring the world together.”
They added, “The Games should celebrate the athletes, not denigrate anyone’s faith. We urge you to take immediate action by amending Rule 55 of the Olympic Charter to ensure that no faiths are the subject of mockery as part of the opening or closing ceremonies ever again.”
The senators said the IOC “should formally condemn the mockery that occurred in Paris of one of the most sacred moments of the Christian faith. Then, the IOC should make formal changes to ensure this kind of divisive display is not repeated to ensure that Coubertin’s vision for the Games may continue to thrive,” referring to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman who founded the modern Olympics.
“Every person, from every nation and every faith, should be encouraged to enjoy the Olympics without being belittled or mocked. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” they concluded.
The other senators who signed the letter included: John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-ID), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Todd Young (R-IN).
Last week’s opening ceremony, which featured several acts, drew backlash for including a drag show parody of “The Last Supper” with Jesus Christ, his apostles, and the Greek god Dionysus. Amid the outrage, the organizers of this summer’s games apologized to Catholics and other Christian groups who took offense.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” said Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps, according to ESPN. She added, “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”
The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said, “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that.”
Not everyone voiced disapproval of the opening ceremony.
First lady Jill Biden, who led the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremony on Friday, praised the show during a brunch celebrating the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It was spectacular,” Biden said. “The rain did not dampen our spirits. … Every step of the way, I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh my God, oh my God. How are we going to top this?'”
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