https://arab.news/pv3sc
- 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 planning to watch the opening. But after seeing the photos, I couldn鈥檛 believe it wasn鈥檛 a deep fake or photoshop,鈥� Zakharova wrote on Telegram
- 鈥淩idiculous open-air opening ceremony forced guests to sit for hours under pouring rain鈥�
MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday slammed the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games as a 鈥渕assive failure.鈥�
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova gave a long list of shortcomings at Friday鈥檚 ceremony, which was not broadcast live on Russian television.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 planning to watch the opening. But after seeing the photos, I couldn鈥檛 believe it wasn鈥檛 a deep fake or photoshop,鈥� the spokeswoman wrote on Telegram
Only a few Russian athletes have been approved to participate in the Games as 鈥渘eutrals.鈥� Competiors under the Russian flag have been banned over Russia鈥檚 military offensive in Ukraine.
Zakharova wrote that the 鈥渞idiculous open-air opening ceremony forced guests to sit for hours under pouring rain.鈥�
鈥淭he organizers did not think of either seeding the clouds or awnings,鈥� she said, referring to Russia鈥檚 practice of sending up planes ahead of major outdoor events to attempt to break up clouds.
France detained a Russian man just ahead of the Games鈥� opening, accusing him of a 鈥渄establization鈥� plot for the event. 鈥淚 wonder how many more 鈥榮pies鈥� had to be embedded for the opening of the Olympics in Paris to end up such a massive failure?鈥� said Zakharova.
Zakharova also mocked the 鈥渢ransport collapse鈥� on the day, after three arson attacks on the rail system, and France鈥檚 blaming this on sabotage.
She said the center of Paris was 鈥渢ransformed into a ghetto for homeless people,鈥� while 鈥渞ats flooded the streets.鈥�
Other targets were the US rapper Snoop Dogg carrying the Olympic torch and gaffes such as introducing the South Korean team as North Korea and raising the Olympic flag upside-down.
Zakharova picked on a part of the opening ceremony featuring drag queens, interpreted by some as parodying The Last Supper. She called it a 鈥渕ockery of a sacred story for Christians,鈥� saying that 鈥渢he Apostles were shown as transvestites.鈥�
鈥淓vidently in Paris they decided that if the Olympic rings are multi-colored, you can turn it all into one giant gay parade,鈥� she added.
A spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, Vakhtang Kipshidze, also condemned this section, writing on his personal Telegram channel that it was 鈥渃ultural and historical suicide.鈥�