LGBTQ+ | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | ADVOCACY & POLICY | CULTURE
Progress and Setbacks: The Olympic Inclusion-Exclusion Game
WORDS BY RICCARDO CHIARAMONDIA | CHIARA@THEIWI.ORG | 21 OCTOBER 2024
The Paris Olympics were presented by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) as the most gender inclusive in history, starting from the achievement of almost perfect numerical parity between male (5,712) and female (5,503) athletes(i) to the opening ceremony. The latter specifically sought to highlight inclusivity in the keynote speeches, the final double torchbearer, the performances and parades where queerness was a central element. From the conservative bangs of public opinion, controversy was raised against the organization for the ceremony, which was accused of indoctrination and blasphemy, later extended throughout the competitions by the cases of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting. These controversies will be analyzed in this article, but they are not the only problem. As will be seen, even the IOC has policies on gender integration that are exclusionary and in stark contrast to the message it has tried to get across through official statements and ceremony.
The Last Supper
The organizing committee for the Paris Games has been subjected to numerous criticisms throughout the Olympic period: one of the most relevant to this article was about the representation made by drag queens of a banquet similar to a combination of a Greek bacchanal and Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. The public reaction toward this latest event involved not only the conservative-leaning press and a large number of Christian-related organizations, but also politically exposed people. Some of the most relevant among these are Donald Trump, who called the event “a disgrace”(ii), French politicians – both far-right and left-wingers – such as Marechal and Melenchon(iii), Kornelia Ninova who in Bulgaria instrumentalized the event to support the process to ban “LGBT propaganda” in Bulgarian schools(iv), and there was even a phone call about it between Pope Francis and Erdoğan the contents of which have not been made public(v). In the days following the controversy Thomas Jolly, the creative director of the ceremony, denied that he was inspired by The Last Supper, pointing to the myths of Dionysus as a reference(vi). Verisimilarly both sources were behind the creation, but what matters in this analysis is the perception of those who made the criticism. Relying on precedent reinterpretations of The Last Supper, the depiction of a painting having such popularity as to turn it into a pop element seems not constitute in itself blasphemy: Leonardo's work has been revisited several times without receiving accusations of any kind, as in the case of Andy Warhol's The Last Supper or of the recent versions featured in the exhibition The Last Supper After Leonardo(vii). It is not important for this article to precisely define the fairness of calling the repurposing of a painting blasphemy, but even assuming that it can be considered blasphemy, this should be made in any instance that a modification or reinterpretation is made to a figure considered sacred by religion, not exclusively when people from the LGBTQIA+ community are involved. In the case of the opening ceremony, blasphemy seems to be a simple pretext to reinforce the homophobic mindset of conservative political and religious fronts and to attack the queer community. This does not come as a surprise, considering that just a few months earlier the pope stated that there was already too much “faggotry”(viii) in the church. It would be necessary to recall, moreover, in light of the positions taken by French politicians, that the French state is secular(ix) and blasphemy is not forbidden, indeed, often encouraged(x). In response to all criticisms of blasphemy, however, it would be sufficient to point out how The Last Supper is a painting made on commission and not out of religious inspiration by a painter whose irreligiousness was explicit and whose homosexuality is an element that has repeatedly appeared in the center of the artistic chronicles(xi): if what happened in Paris is blasphemous, the very existence of the painting should be.
Boxing cases
Controversies surrounding the Olympic events were also seen in the sport competitions themselves, particularly in relation to the participation of Imane Khalif and Lin Yu-Ting in women's boxing tournaments. Both athletes in 2023 were disqualified by the IBA - an international boxing federation - for failing sex verification tests. It is important to acknowledge that the methodologies used in these examinations were presented in a contradictory and inconsistent way by IBA spokesmen while the data were never made public(xii). The aforementioned federation, moreover, for reasons of corruption and irregularities in the management and election of its president has been suspended several times by the IOC and officially disavowed in 2023(xiii). The IBA's decisions on the two boxers are therefore not considered valid or trustable.
Following a match won by Khalif due to the withdrawal of her Italian opponent Angelica Carini, Prime Minister Meloni and other Italian state representatives issued public statements against Khalif's participation contesting – more or less alluded to – the athlete's being transgender(xiv). The participation of transgender athletes is an issue debated by the IOC which reserves the right to evaluate individual cases, but in this case the words of the Italian state representatives (later echoed by other public figures with a large media reach such as the aforementioned Trump, Elon Musk or J.K. Rowling)(xv), in addition to the discrimination they are imbued with, have a greater gravity since Khalif is not a transgender person. The same “accusations” have been made toward Lin Yu-Ting, who similarly is a person born a woman and who identifies as a woman. Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, publicly supported the two athletes by claiming that “this is not a DSD case, this is about a woman taking part in a women's competition”(xvi) but in turn demonstrating confusion over concepts and terminology and only later correcting the term “DSD” (Disorders of sex development) to “transgender”(xvii).
IOC’s contradictions
The IOC's defense is appreciable, but in turn highlights major contradictions. Since the two female boxers are able to participate as “women taking part in a women's competition,” it is difficult to understand why the same is not granted to Semenya, Mboma, Masilingi, Seyni, Wambui and Nyonsaba, athletes who would be represented by Bach's statement. The level of testosterone naturally produced by these athletes is higher than the level set as a limit by the IOC – halved moreover between the Tokyo and Paris games(xviii) – and for this they are discriminated against and excluded unless they do medical therapies to reduce it, a practice recognized unfair by the Human rights court(xix).
Moreover, as can also be seen in the aforementioned cases, basing an entire ceremony and the promotion of the event on gender inclusion is contradictory given that the committee of the hosting country itself did not allow its female athletes to compete with the hijab(xx). Finally, it is paradoxical to deliver a message of gender inclusiveness and simultaneously disqualify Manizha Talash for wearing a cape that says “Free Afghan Women”(xxi). All of these inconsistencies leave great perplexity and put the IOC's declarations of inclusiveness into question, considering that respect to gender-diversity is not given in fact, which generates doubt on whether or not it was merely gender and rainbow washing propaganda.
i.Dunbar, G. (2024, July 18). Paris Olympic competition nears total gender parity. Take a look at the athlete gender breakdown. AP. https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympic-games-gender-parity-c194ca5934911efbce801363f28e8c04
ii.Le Monde. (2020, July 30). Paris Olympics: Trump says opening ceremony was ‘a disgrace’. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2024/07/30/paris-olympics-trump-says-opening-ceremony-was-a-disgrace_6704786_9.html
iii.Henley, J. (2024, July 27). ‘It was like us – a chaotic mess’: France enjoys Paris Games opening ceremony. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/27/france-verdict-paris-olympic-opening-ceremony; Hector, M. (2024, July 28). Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Mélenchon did not look favorably on the paintings of The Last Supper and Marie-Antoinette. Entrevue.fr. https://www.entrevue.fr/en/jo-paris-2024-melenchon-na-pas-vu-dun-bon-oeil-les-tableaux-de-la-cene-et-de-marie-antoinette/
iv.Todorov, S. (2024, August 7). Bulgaria’s Parliament Unexpectedly Outlaws ‘LGBT Propaganda’ in Schools. Balkan Insight. https://balkaninsight.com/2024/08/07/bulgarias-parliament-unexpectedly-outlaws-lgbt-propaganda-in-schools/
v.Euractiv.com with Reuters. (2024, August 8). Vatican saddened by Olympic ceremony skit resembling ‘Last Supper. Euractiv. https://www.euractiv.com/section/languages-culture/news/vatican-saddened-by-olympic-ceremony-skit-resembling-last-supper/
vi.Henley, J. (2024, July 29). Olympic ‘Last Supper’ scene was in fact based on painting of Greek gods, say art experts. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/29/olympic-last-supper-scene-based-painting-greek-gods-art-experts.
vii. Fondazione Stelline. L’ultima cena dopo Leonardo. https://stelline.it/appuntamenti/lultima-cena-dopo-leonardo/
viii.Ansa. (2024, June 12). Il Papa a porte chiuse torna sulla frociaggine: 'È in Vaticano'. https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cronaca/2024/06/11/il-papa-a-porte-chiuse-torna-sulla-frociaggine-e-in-vaticano_ef10418a-760f-42f2-8275-6a87d0d3ffbb.html
ix.“France shall be an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic.”. Art. 1, Constitution of France. https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/sites/default/files/as/root/bank_mm/anglais/constiution_anglais_oct2009.pdf
x.Le Figaro & AFP. (2020, September 1). Charlie Hebdo: Macron défend «la liberté de blasphémer» en France. Le Figaro. https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/charlie-hebdo-macron-defend-la-liberte-de-blasphemer-en-france-20200901
xi.Vasari, G. (1550). Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori e architettori; Nicholl, C. (2004). Leonardo da Vinci: The Flights of the Mind
xii.Pierce, Z. (2024, August 5). IBA digs in on Olympic boxing controversy that Imane Khelif calls a ‘fierce campaign’. The Athletic. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5682121/2024/08/05/iba-olympic-boxing-controversy-imane-khelif/
xiii.BBC. (2023, June 22). International Boxing Association stripped by International Olympic Committee of status. https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/65987324
xiv.Ansa. (2024, August 1). Caso Carini, Meloni: 'Non era una gara alla pari'. Salvini: 'Vergogna a chi ha dato l'ok al match'. https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/politica/2024/08/01/i-commenti-della-politica-sulla-decisione-di-carini.-meloni-non-era-una_539571f6-b688-440e-b9f1-d1187f37ffde.html
xv.Khomami, N. (2024, August 14). JK Rowling and Elon Musk named in Imane Khelif cyberbullying lawsuit. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/14/jk-rowling-and-elon-musk-named-in-imane-khelif-cyberbullying-lawsuit
xvi.Morgan, T. (2024, August 3) ‘No doubt’ boxers like Imane Khelif are women, says Olympics president. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2024/08/03/thomas-bach-ioc-boxers-imane-khelif-women-no-debate/
xvii.Boffey, D. & Ingle, S. (2024, August 3). IOC puts out correction after president Thomas Bach confuses gender issues. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/03/international-olympic-committee-thomas-bach-transgender-correction-paris
xviii.Elsesser, K. (2024, July 29). What Makes An Olympic Athlete Female? The Rules Have Changed Since Tokyo. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2024/07/22/what-makes-an-olympic-athlete-female-the-rules-have-changed-since-tokyo/#:~:text=World%20Athletics%2C%20which%20governs%20track,the%20previous%20Olympics%20in%202021.
xix.Imray, G. (2023, July 11). Human rights court rules in favor of Olympic champion Semenya, testosterone rules may persist. PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/human-rights-court-rules-in-favor-of-olympic-champion-semenya-over-testosterone-rules
xx.Syed, A. (2024, July 19). Why France Is Banning the Hijab for Their Olympic Athletes. Time. https://time.com/7000437/france-sporting-hijab-ban-olympics/; Kassam, A. (2024, July 25). French athlete may swap hijab for a cap to avoid Olympic opening ceremony ban. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/25/french-athlete-swap-hijab-cap-avoid-olympic-opening-ceremony-ban