Paris 2024 Olympic Recap: The Highlights and Controversies

Well, the Olympics are over. The closing ceremony highlighted the end of the Paris Olympics, and the preshow ushered in excitement for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Let’s take some time to unpack a few things over these past few weeks.

Ambassador Snoop Doggy Dogg

For many, the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics was an instant turn-off. The highlight was Snoop lighting the torch. I know that we are Kingdom citizens and not culture citizens, but you have to admit, Snoop was a great choice for ambassador. He participated in events, cheered, and supported. His commentary was entertaining, genuine, and a welcomed addition to the norm of sports commentators we’ve grown used to. He had custom clothing made for the event.

In the United States, we love a good rags-to-riches story, and nothing says change more than a former gangbanger becoming an Olympic ambassador, not only because of his impact in the music industry but because of the changes he made in his life and the work he does in the community. I don’t think I’ve ever heard “Drop It Like It’s Hot” played more than I did during the Olympics. But I do mildly remember the song being an international hit, and if it wasn’t, it probably is now.

Cultural Expression or Forced Acceptance?

After viewing the outfits and fashion during the parade of countries, I noticed that other portions of the event were questionable, to put it nicely. The photos of the woman riding the horse across the river in an armor suit were a little off-putting (in my opinion). It was giving a scene from the Book of Revelation about the horseman. Although that was not the intent per commentators during and commentary after the event, the lasting image didn’t sit well. While I recognize that Marie Antoinette is a Parisian cultural staple, that scene was also kind of weird. Knowing a little of the history of France helped, but it was still weird.

A Call for Outrage as Blasphemy Took Center Stage

Perhaps the most “popular” scene, and not in a good way, was the one that seemed to resemble Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The problem was that those representing Jesus and the disciples were drag queens, some scantily clad. There was a baby seated on a table and other children in close proximity to a man with exposed private parts and then a nearly nude blue man laid out on the table.

Originally, officials claimed that the scene was to pay homage to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and the feasts that took place during the creation of the Olympics. The Olympic Committee and scene designers issued an apology after seeing the outrage and outcry of Christians across the world and those who were just generally offended. Official video footage of the scene was removed from official Olympic media outlets and many others.

From that scene and others, many decided to boycott watching the games as a stand against blasphemy. However, in case you missed it, here’s a short commentary on YouTube from Firstpost that explains more about this and other controversies during the games.

Let’s Talk Sports

The total medal count for the United States was 126 – 40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze. In the early days of competition, medals were awarded for swimming, diving, cycling, and fencing. Across the board, there were record-breaking heats, a multitude of firsts, and so many stories of overcoming. Those are the stories many of us love from the Olympics. Not just from your own country, but even hearing the stories of others. I still remember the story of a Kenyan distance runner who practiced and trained running through fields from town to town and went on to win a gold medal.

The beginning of week 2 brought on the excitement of the US Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics teams and the beginning rounds of the track and field events. Gymnast Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in history, leaving the games with 11 medals.

In Celebration, Controversy Arises

In the middle of the celebration of the US Women’s Gymnastics team, controversy arose. After seeing the scoring for her floor routine, Jordan Chiles petitioned to have her score reconsidered for difficulty. In doing so, the judges decided that she should have scored higher, moving her from 5^th to 3^rd place and securing the bronze medal. The Romanian gymnasts, whose ranks moved from 3^rd and 4^th to 4^th and 5^th, filed a complaint saying that the request for reconsideration happened 4 seconds after the 1-minute time allotment as set by the rules of the games.

The complaint was rendered valid and Chiles was stripped of her bronze medal, restoring the Romanians to 3^rd and 4^th place. The story’s not over, as the US Gymnastics team has filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee showing that the request was made at 47 seconds and again at 55 seconds, in a video that was not available at the time of the decision. A ruling in favor of the US team would reinstate Chiles’ bronze medal. Stay tuned for more.

Track and Field Did Not Disappoint … Mostly

Track star Sha’Carri Richardson showed one of the greatest stories of redemption after being dismissed from the team in 2020 just before the Tokyo games due to having tested positive for marijuana use. Even at this year’s games, she was subject to a rule stating that track athletes were only allowed entry if they were reporting on the team. Richardson was housed outside of the village and initially denied entry into the stadium. These new rules were stated the night before the competition, partially leading to another fan favorite, Shelly Ann Frazier-Pryce, to withdraw from the 100-m race. The two walked an hour to enter through another gate, missing the warm-up time.

Was this new rule on purpose? The by-product of racism? A way to edge or put out front runners for others to rise? In the list of things that have been labeled “weird” for these games, we can add this one. The day before the medal race both athletes were able to enter through the same door they were denied entry to after having been dropped off by their private vehicles. Sha’Carri went on to win silver in the 100-m and left us with the best look back meme ever as the 4×100 team easily took the gold.

Once again, the men’s 4×100 team was disqualified for being out of the zone with what appeared to be a loaded line-up sure to grab first place. Maybe LA and being on the home turf will see the US men’s team win its first 4×100 relay in over 20 years.

Sidebar … The Olympic Village

Real quick … did you peep any of the footage of the conditions of the Olympic Village? The clips I saw were wild. There were cardboard beds. The food options available were not ideal or beneficial for many athletes and, at the last minute, did not include meat or eggs. The rooms were unairconditioned in August. The buses were overcrowded, with athletes needing to sit on the floor at times to get to their destinations. Growing up. I remember hearing something similar about the village at another year of the games. Incidentally, while there were other complaints people may have had about the games being in the United States, the Olympic Village was not one of them that I can recall. If you know something different, please share! Maybe that’s something athletes can look forward to in 2028: a comfortable place to call “home” for two weeks.

Back to Track and Field

The US Track and Field teams have been phenomenal for years. I spent the morning watching replays and recaps of the athletes’ simply phenomenal performances. The women’s 4×400 team won its 8^th Gold medal in extraordinary fashion. With a great first leg by Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone sealed the deal on the second leg for Gabby Thomas and Alexis Holmes to continue the seemingly easy glide in, breaking the 1988 record set by the team with Flo-Jo in the Seoul games.

The men’s 4×400 won gold and set a new Olympic record. Maryland teenager Quincy Wilson made history as the youngest male to compete in an Olympic track and field event. The 16-year-old high school junior will return to school in a few weeks with a gold medal for the 4×400. Shortly after winning the gold, he posted on Instagram, “Dang, I really got school in 2 and a half weeks.” How dope is it to return to school in your junior year talking about, “Yeah, I’m a gold-medal Olympian?” Well done, young man. This teacher and fellow Marylander are super proud of you.

New Olympic Sport Alert

This recap would not be complete without including a discussion of … drum roll, please …

The debut of breakdancing!!!

Let’s be real. We just knew we were going to see some variation of Turbo, Ozone, and the Beat Street kids. Tell me this was not the image you got.

Olympic Breaking had many of us excited as we reminisced about classics such as Breakin’ and Beat Street, highlighting the dance battles with b-boys and girls in fly gear and squashing their beef on the dance floor. I remember my parents taking my sister and me to the movies to see Breakin’. We came home, started spinning around on the floor, and tried to do the worm and recreate all the moves we saw in the movie. It was nothing to create the human wave chain with your friends and do your b-boy 6 step combined with the robotic moves to set it off. Now, mind you, we were like 6 and 8.

Back to the excitement. We couldn’t wait to see how this would unfold. Sadly, many fans’ expectations did not meet the delivery. After seeing clips, memes, and commentary on social media, I watched the replay to see for myself and make an informed decision. Underwhelmed was an overstatement, especially regarding the women’s rounds.

The men’s competition was a better display of talent. In the first-ever Olympic Breaking competition, the US brought home bronze. At the same time, I’d be interested to know if the skateboard, BMX, or extreme sports communities felt this underwhelmed when those sports debuted in the Olympics, or could it be just a bit of my American entitlement showing because we should be first in the thing we started?

What Did We Just Watch … Real Question

I’m torn between wondering if this was an ode to history (hip hop just turned 50), an embrace of culture, or plain cultural misappropriation. I do not want to be overly critical or take anything away from any of the athletes who prepared, competed, and did their best, but I think it’s a valid question. It’s sad when an Olympic event looks like 3 hours of 5-7-year-olds saying, “Mommy, look what I can do.” It also left me curious about what the judges were looking for as far as scoring because some of the dancers in the early rounds had better moves than the ones that ultimately medaled to me.

Yes, everyone is a judge watching from home on your couch, and at 47, I dare not try any of those moves now. There just seemed to be a lot missing and then there was the rule of not being able to repeat moves. I have questions. I’ll probably watch it again at some point so that I’m a better-prepared couch judge for LA 2028.

Is the Dream Team Still a Dream??

The last highlights were the men’s and women’s basketball final games. The men won their 5^th consecutive gold medal, second against France, and the women won their 8^th straight gold medal in a game that came down to the wire. After reading articles about the success of the US basketball teams, I remember the first US Dream Team that wiped the floor with every team they played. Back then, teams were just happy to say they played against such stars and didn’t care about the blowout. This year, both teams were nearly knocked out of Gold medal contention, with the men’s team kicking in gear late in the qualifying game to advance and the women’s team winning by just one point in their final.

I guess over time, the thrill is gone, and other countries have stepped up their recruiting for the Olympic teams because I’ve noticed that the margin of victory has narrowed significantly. One thing that stuck out  was a caption that read, “We are the only team that the country would not be happy with a silver medal.” Pretty true when you think about it. But why? Is it because that first team set the bar so high that it must be upheld? Or is it because we send paid professionals to do the job? Has it become the general expectation since we stopped sending unprepared college athletes to take on professionals in other countries? Things that make you go, hmm.

Out With the Old, Moving to the New … LA 2028

The closing ceremony featured a stunt by Tom Cruise, a preshow to show off all things Los Angeles, and the blowing out of the torch. It did not appear to be as long as the opening ceremony. I’m sure new star athletes will arise between now and the next four years. The World Championships will give us new records and people to cheer for. I’m sure I’m missing some key moments in this little synopsis.

Honestly, I was one of those people who was kind of turned off by the opening ceremony, so as much as I wanted to see the games live, the excitement wasn’t there anymore. As Christians, we are instructed not to be so heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly good. Although the opening shouldn’t overshadow the accomplishments of the athletes, it dwindled my overall feelings about the event. Having a layover in Charles De Gaul airport a few years ago, the excitement was there! I felt it so much that I bought a t-shirt in anticipation and because I was in France, I wanted to momento. For me, it was kind of a letdown that the opening cast such a dark cloud.

We want to hear from you! Sound off in the comments. Let us know what you thought about the games and your favorite highlights. By all means, tell me what I missed! Let’s talk about it.