From the “floating opening” to the “Last Supper” controversy, the 2024 Paris Olympics has been marred with criticism ever since it started. And it has only been a couple of days.

The prestigious Games draws thousands of athletes from around the world to the City of Love, including Malaysia.

As tradition dictates, the event featured an extravagant opening ceremony, which typically becomes a cherished highlight saved on the official Olympics YouTube channel.

However, this year’s official video of the 2024 Paris opening ceremony appears to have been deleted from the Olympics’ YouTube account, apparently due to overwhelmingly negative feedback.

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, social media users highlighted the missing video.

While the official Olympics YouTube account has not provided any statement on this, it is unclear if the video was removed or made unavailable to certain viewers.

Based on our checks, we were unable to view the opening video as the message said “This video is not available”.

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Unlike previous Olympic Games such as London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, the 2024 Paris opening ceremony is conspicuously absent online.

Controversial Content and Public Outrage

The opening ceremony was held outdoors with the athletes paraded on barges and boats along the River Seine.

While it made history as the first Olympics opening ceremony not held in a stadium, the rainy weather left spectators standing in the rain without covered seating.

Malaysians on social media too had a lot to say about the opening ceremony, but they were supportive of our athletes with some pointing out that the much criticised outfit did look good.

There was also criticism regarding the opening ceremony’s content, particularly a Drag Queen performance intended to symbolise French values of liberty, fraternity, and equality.

Additionally, a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” was deemed offensive by many Christians. Some individuals also argued that the performance was unsuitable for children.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, recently issued a statement clarifying that they had no intention of disrespecting any religious belief or organisation.

Organizational Errors

The ceremony also saw several organizational errors.

One notable incident occurred when the Olympic flag, with its iconic five-coloured rings, was hoisted upside down.

Additionally, during the parade of athletes, an unfortunate mistake added to the rocky start.

As the South Korean delegation made its way down the Seine River, they were mistakenly introduced with North Korea’s official name: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French and “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.

This error provoked strong reactions in South Korea, a country known for its global cultural and technological influence, and still technically at war with North Korea.

In response, the IOC issued an apology on its official Korean-language Twitter account, stating, “We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony.”

Drenched In The Rain

The criticism did not stop there as many spectators were not happy with the fact that they had to get drenched in the rain as the ceremony was held outdoors at the main city river, the Seine.

The rain, while it did become a point for some to criticise France’s choice of holding the ceremony outdoors, did not dampen spirits.

Members of the French National Orchestra too were seen wearing raincoats as they performed at the Trocadero, an open area across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

One of the netizens even joked about the legendary British tennis player, Andy Murray getting soaked under the rain.

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