Reports of power outages in several areas of the French capital emerged just as the world’s attention turned to the start of the 2024 Olympics raising suspicions of divine retribution coming in the wake of an irreverent opening ceremony that celebrated a golden calf and depicted a transgender Last Supper.
The outages, which occurred shortly after the opening ceremony, affected multiple neighborhoods across Paris. While the exact cause remains under investigation, officials from the local power company, Enedis, stated they were working diligently to restore service as quickly as possible.
These electrical disruptions come at a particularly challenging time for Paris, as the city’s infrastructure faces the increased demands of hosting the Olympic Games. The influx of visitors, athletes, and media, combined with the power requirements of Olympic venues and related facilities, has put a significant strain on the local electrical grid.
Jean Dubois, an energy infrastructure expert at the Sorbonne, commented on the situation: “Hosting an event of this magnitude inevitably tests a city’s systems. Paris has been preparing for years, but unforeseen issues can always arise, especially when dealing with aging infrastructure in some areas.”
Olympic organizers were quick to assure the public that contingency plans were in place to ensure the Games would continue without major disruptions. Backup generators at key venues were activated to maintain essential operations.
Friday’s opening ceremony featured a choral performance, with the singers appearing alongside the golden head of a bull. The statue was created in 1937 alongside a gold deer specifically for the Paris World Fair. Many felt it symbolized the Biblical golden calf that the Hebrews made after the Exodus from Egypt.
Many Christians took offense to images of a metal horse floating down the Seine because it resembled the pale horse from the Book of Revelations.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the opening ceremony was the performance that parodied Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” a painting depicting Jesus and his apostles the night before his crucifixion. The performance featured LGBTQ activist, DJ Barbara Butch, as Jesus. The disciples were portrayed by cross-dressed men.
In front of the performers was an enormous silver serving tray bearing a scantily dressed man, who was painted head to toe in sparkling blue representing the Greek pagan God Dionysus, the god of wine, pleasure, festivity, madness and wild frenzy.
The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said there was no intention to “mock or denigrate anyone” and explained the scene in question was designed to reference pagan gods.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters on Sunday.
“On the contrary, I think Thomas Jolly did try to celebrate community tolerance. We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we of course are really sorry.”
Jolly told French broadcaster BFM: “The idea was to do a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus.
“You’ll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone. I wanted a ceremony that brings people together, that reconciles, but also a ceremony that affirms our Republican values of liberty, equality and fraternity.”
Some observers noted that one of the only buildings remaining in the spotlight was Sacre Coeur Church .
Paul Kim tweeted what many were thinking: “After yesterday’s blasphemous Olympic ceremony, could there be a more fitting symbol of how the light of Christ can’t be overcome by the darkness?”
The Olympics were also marred by threats to Israeli competitors and anti-Israeli displays.
