MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday slammed the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, calling it a “massive failure” and expressing disappointment with several elements of the event.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova took to Telegram to voice her dissatisfaction with the ceremony that took place on Friday and was not broadcast live on Russian television.
Zakharova began by expressing her initial skepticism about the ceremony’s quality, stating, “I wasn’t planning to watch the opening. But after seeing the photos, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t a deep fake or Photoshop.” She listed multiple shortcomings, including the weather conditions and logistical issues that affected the event.
One of her main critiques was the open-air nature of the ceremony, which she described as “ridiculous” due to the attendees being exposed to rain for hours. “The organisers did not think of either seeding the clouds or awnings,” Zakharova remarked, referencing Russia’s practice of using planes to disperse clouds ahead of major outdoor events to avoid rain.
Zakharova also highlighted the security situation leading up to the Games, noting that a Russian national had been detained by French authorities for allegedly plotting to destabilize the event. She questioned the effectiveness of the security measures, saying, “I wonder how many more ‘spies’ had to be embedded for the opening of the Olympics in Paris to end up such a massive failure?”
The opening ceremony faced additional scrutiny from Zakharova, who mocked the transportation issues in Paris. She referred to the disruption as a “transport collapse,” exacerbated by three arson attacks on the rail system, and criticized France’s response to these incidents.
Furthermore, Zakharova commented on the perceived state of Paris, stating that the city had been “transformed into a ghetto for homeless people,” and that “rats flooded the streets.” She also targeted specific elements of the ceremony, including US rapper Snoop Dogg carrying the Olympic torch and various gaffes such as the misidentification of the South Korean team as North Korean and the Olympic flag being raised upside-down.
One of the most controversial aspects of the ceremony, according to Zakharova, was a segment featuring drag queens interpreted by some as a parody of The Last Supper. She condemned this portion of the event, labeling it a “mockery of a sacred story for Christians” and asserting that it turned the Olympic celebration into a “giant gay parade.”
