A tech company’s decision to withdraw its advertising from the 2024 Paris Olympics has drawn attention following a controversial performance at the opening ceremonies. C Spire, a telecommunications and technology company based in Mississippi, announced on Saturday morning that it was cutting ties with the event.
The announcement came shortly after a performance featuring drag queens and dancers, which was perceived as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci‘s “The Last Supper.”
“We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics,” C Spire posted on X.
The controversial performance
The performance, which took place on the Debilyl Bridge with the Eiffel Tower and Seine River as a backdrop, began with three French drag queens and other performers standing at the base of a runway.
C Spire did not specify the nature of the advertisements they had intended to run during the Olympics, nor did they disclose the financial impact of their decision to pull out.
The company’s decision appears to have been influenced by the negative reactions from various quarters who viewed the performance as disrespectful to religious iconography.
“C Spire is supportive of our athletes who have worked so hard to be a part of the Olympics,” C Spire President and CEO Suzy Hays said in a statement.
“However, we will not be a part of the offensive and unacceptable mockery of the Last Supper, which is why we’re pulling our advertising from the Olympics.”
In defense of the artistic choices made for the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, the event’s artistic director, spoke at a press conference. He explained that the performance was meant to symbolize “inclusion” and aimed to showcase a wide range of cultural expressions.
“Our subject was not to be subversive,” Jolly said.
“We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom.
“We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”