A defining moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics happened on the evening of July 26, when a nearly naked blue man captured the world鈥檚 attention.
It happened during the four-hour opening ceremony, in a segment featuring drag performers who then sat down to a meal. The nearly naked blue man was featured prominently in this scene.
Some of those watching the ceremony said the images were reminiscent of The Last Supper, the painting by Leonardo da Vinci, depicting the last meal before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Soon after the opening ceremonies, held on the evening of July 26, the hashtags #boycottOlympics and #boycottParis2024 were trending on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and elsewhere.
Organizers of the show later said the scene depicted a celebration with Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and festivity. The modern Olympic Games, held since 1896, draw on the spirit and tradition of the Olympic Games during the time of the Greek Empire.
Not everyone appreciates the opening ceremonies of this year鈥檚 game, and that鈥檚 fine. However, it is best to watch the segment before calling for a boycott of the games. It is also wise to take some time to consider the form a boycott should take, and what would be accomplished by such an action.
The modern Olympics are a celebration of sport, bringing together the world鈥檚 top athletes. This year, 10,714 athletes from around the world are competing in 32 sports.
In some previous Olympics, notable boycotts have affected the games.
In 1980, a U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics resulted in 67 nations not participating and another 16 giving partial support to the boycott. The reason for this was the Soviet Union鈥檚 invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
Then, four years later, the Soviet Union responded with a boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, with 14 Eastern Bloc countries also participating.
Those actions both came at a cost to the countries involved, as their athletes were denied the opportunity to participate in top-level competitions.
Smaller boycotts happened in 1956, 1964 and 1976, for a number of reasons.
Olympic boycotts at the national level are not entered lightly. It is a serious matter for a country to forbid its athletes from competing against the best in the world. Doing so will result in scrutiny and criticism at home and on the world stage.
Would it be possible to boycott the games on an individual level? Perhaps.
A ticket holder could walk away from the games as a way of showing disapproval. However, those posting the #boycottOlympics and #boycottParis2024 hashtags were not at the games in person.
It is possible to choose to not watch the games or follow the Olympics, for any reason. Such an action requires little effort.
Despite social media cries of protest, the games are continuing.
If anything, the voices of outrage have helped to make an image from the opening ceremonies an iconic moment of the games 鈥� perhaps the defining image of the Paris Olympics.
Some of the attention has moved away from the competition and is now focused on a nearly naked blue man instead.
He wasn鈥檛 even an athlete in this year鈥檚 games.
John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.
