Christians have been rightly appalled by the deliberate blasphemy in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, exacerbated as it was by a non-apology. The organisers said they were sorry some people were offended. This is like saying, ‘We are sorry that some blinkered faith types did not have the intellectual and aesthetic capacity to comprehend the artistic significance of our creative endeavour to encapsulate the inclusivity of the Games.’

Woke Olympics

The opening ceremony was in significant part a parade of woke propaganda. The BBC naturally thought it, ‘spectacular’, ‘brilliantly frenetic and occasionally emotional’, ‘beguiling’ and ‘magical’.

With bearded men in drag, a choir of headless Marie Antoinettes, and Lennon’s execrable ‘Imagine’ we were left with no doubt where the organiser’s sympathies lay.

Not only did the opening ceremony undermine the institutions of marriage and family by including prominent displays from drag queens, it did so too by the portrayal of polyamorous relationships; one particular scene received comment for depicting three individuals in a romantic relationship, closing the door on the audience as they enter their bedroom.

Not only did the opening ceremony undermine the institutions of marriage and family by including prominent displays from drag queens, it did so too by the portrayal of polyamorous relationships

With the capture of the event by ideological progressivism, the Olympics have become part of ‘woke world’. As such they have come to epitomise the decadence of Western society.
The one good thing to emerge from it is that some Christians may wake up to the fact that ‘woke world’ does not dislike Christianity, ‘woke world’ despises Christianity and will do its best to denounce, ridicule and denigrate the faith.

Corruption

Not only Christians should be appalled at the Paris Olympics. The sports loving public should be outraged; but then sports lovers are used to being taken for a ride. From organised crime figures involved in boxing to the doping scandals which perpetually hit professional cycling corruption appears rife. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) leads the way.

We are used to the spectacle of IOC members claiming benefits for themselves; traffic lanes kept open for their exclusive use, the best accommodation, and bunches of tickets they are able to sell on the black market.

IOC members are continually being exposed as corrupt. In June 2023, French investigators searched the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizers as part of a probe into suspected corruption. This marked the third consecutive Summer Olympics to be embroiled in a corruption scandal.

The IOC has a bidding process in which cities compete openly for the privilege of holding the Games. Sometimes the competition is not as open as proclaimed. The Tokyo Olympic officials involved in securing the Games of 2020, later 2021, were kept busy buying IOC votes at a cost of $8.2 in accepted bribes.

This marked the third consecutive Summer Olympics to be embroiled in a corruption scandal.

This was following tradition. When in 1995, Salt Lake City bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics they spent nearly $3 million in bribes and other inducements such as shopping sprees, tickets to NBA basketball games, and even a knee replacement for an IOC member’s mother-in-law. It was money well invested - they got the Games.

All these and worse have become commonplace. However, the utter disregard for the sensibilities of ‘normies’, or people who don’t buy in to progressivism, makes these games the sleaziest yet. Things have become so bad that companies are pulling their advertising because they have no wish to be associated with the event. The triathlon being postponed because of raw sewage pouring down the Seine has become symbolic of the 2024 Games.

Results of inclusivity

Two boxers, Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu ting of Chinese Taipei - who failed International Boxing Association testosterone and gender eligibility tests last year - have been cleared by the International Olympic Committee to fight in the women’s category in Paris. The IOC are willing for men who have been barred from other boxing competitions to enter an Olympic boxing ring and punch actual women. (Editor - Imane Khelif's case, however, is complex - she was born female, not male, and she does not identify as transgender.) 

Common sense should help the IOC realise that higher testosterone carries a huge safety risk for women in any combat sport. But if common sense is not enough, the science reveals boxing has the biggest male advantage in any sport, with men punching 2.6 times harder than women of equivalent weights. (Eg, read this heartbreaking story). Nevertheless, the IOC has concluded there should be no presumption that trans women have an automatic advantage and does not require athletes to reduce their testosterone levels to compete. (‘trans’ athletes are taking part in other sports too).

Nevertheless, the IOC has concluded there should be no presumption that trans women have an automatic advantage and does not require athletes to reduce their testosterone levels to compete.

Barry McGuigan, who was world featherweight boxing champion, posted on social media: ‘It’s shocking that they were actually allowed to get this far, what is going on?’

What is going on is that the IOC have totally bought into ‘woke world’ and are happy to comply with extreme gender identity ideology. Thus, we have a century of women’s sporting achievements, gained against the odds by dedication and hard work, sacrificed on the altar of progressivism.

Steven van de Velde, the Dutch volleyball player, was imprisoned for raping a 12 year old British girl he groomed on the internet. He said, ‘I cannot reverse it, so I will have to bear the consequences. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.’

It may be the biggest mistake of his life but van de Velde does not have to bear the consequences. Despite widespread protests, he is allowed to compete. The IOC have even accorded van de Velde special privileges so that he doesn’t have to answer questions from the press, or even other athletes, as he is the only one of 2000 athletes not housed in the Olympic Village.

Christians believe in repentance and forgiveness, but that does not mean we believe we should pretend the incident never happened. Actions inevitably have consequences.

Christians believe in repentance and forgiveness, but that does not mean we believe we should pretend the incident never happened. Actions inevitably have consequences. When Sha’Carri Richardson was prevented by USA Track & Field from competing in the Tokyo Olympics because of a positive marijuana test, she said, ‘I know what I’m not allowed to do and I still made that decision. [I’m] not making an excuse or looking for any empathy.’ She took responsibility for her action and bore the consequence.

I enjoy sport, especially the Olympics, perhaps because my grandfather was an Olympian.¹ At the Games we can be enthralled by the skill, courage, and sheer drama of competition amongst the world’s best athletes. Our favourites are there stretching themselves to the utmost. We can witness excellence in sports that is normally never screened.

The Olympics are the greatest sporting event in the world, but the organisers are making it harder and harder for us to watch.

Endnote
1 He was the Scottish 4-mile champion twice and 10-mile champion seven times. He ran for Great Britain in the 1908 Olympic marathon. He was selected for the 1912 Games in Stockholm, but he was a teacher at the time and Edinburgh Education Board wouldn't give him the time off to do something so trivial. He was also president of the Scottish Amateur Athletic Association in 1912, the only competing athlete ever so honoured.

The Rev. Dr Campbell Campbell-Jack is a retired Church of Scotland minister; now a member of the Free Church of Scotland. Check out his many incisive articles on his blog, A Grain of Sand.