Lankford Calls Out Olympic Committee for Mocking Christian Faith

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Chairman of the Senate Values Action Team and Co-Chair of the Senate Olympic and Paralympic Caucus, sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach following the vulgar depiction of the Last Supper during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Lankford called out the blatantly offensive depiction.

Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jim Risch (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Todd Young (R-IN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Tim Scott (R-SC) joined Lankford in sending the letter.

“We write in response to the vulgar mockery of the Christian faith on display at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Games should unite people of every country, race, and creed. There is no place for anti-Christian bigotry at an event designed to bring the world together. The Games should celebrate the athletes, not denigrate anyone’s faith. We urge you to take immediate action by amending Rule 55 of the Olympic Charter to ensure that no faiths are the subject of mockery as part of the opening or closing ceremonies ever again,” wrote the Members.

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should formally condemn the mockery that occurred in Paris of one of the most sacred moments of the Christian faith. Then, the IOC should make formal changes to ensure this kind of divisive display is not repeated to ensure that Coubertin’s vision for the Games may continue to thrive. Every person, from every nation and every faith, should be encouraged to enjoy the Olympics without being belittled or mocked. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the Members continued.

This year, Lankford introduced a resolution to express support for international religious freedom as a fundamental right and a cornerstone of US foreign policy amid concern over increased attacks on religious freedom worldwide. 

View the letter here or below. 

Dear President Bach:

We write in response to the vulgar mockery of the Christian faith on display at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Games should unite people of every country, race, and creed. There is no place for anti-Christian bigotry at an event designed to bring the world together. The Games should celebrate the athletes, not denigrate anyone’s faith. We urge you to take immediate action by amending Rule 55 of the Olympic Charter to ensure that no faiths are the subject of mockery as part of the opening or closing ceremonies ever again.

There are more than 2.5 billion Christians globally. Africa is the region with the highest population of Christians with more than 700 million believers, followed by Latin America, and then Europe. 157 countries in our world are majority Christian nations, which is why your remarks following the mocking of the Christian faith rang hollow. ‘We do not only respect each other, we live in solidarity with each other.’ You went on to say that, ‘In a world torn apart by wars and conflicts, it is thanks to this solidarity that we can all come together tonight, uniting the athletes from the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.’ How can we say we are in solidarity while bigotry and derision are part of the opening ceremonies?

The father of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, once said: ‘May joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner, may the Olympic Torch pursue its way through ages, increasing friendly understanding among nations, for the good of a humanity always more enthusiastic, more courageous and more pure.’ The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should formally condemn the mockery that occurred in Paris of one of the most sacred moments of the Christian faith. Then, the IOC should make formal changes to ensure this kind of divisive display is not repeated to ensure that Coubertin’s vision for the Games may continue to thrive. 

Every person, from every nation and every faith, should be encouraged to enjoy the Olympics without being belittled or mocked. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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