In the months leading up to the Paris Olympics, the situation can best be described as rather unusual. In May, French citizens sought to stage a protest by shitting in the River Seine. Their goal was to draw attention to what they perceived as wasteful spending by authorities in preparation for the international athletics event. This protest was timed to coincide with an event at which French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo proposed to swim in the river and demonstrated that its water was safe for the Olympic swimming events. Hidalgo eventually took the plunge on July 17, donning a full-coverage wetsuit. She commented afterward: “The water is very, very good. A little cool, but not so bad.”

Special Note: Surfrider Foundation, a charity water testing organization, had conducted 14 tests on water samples collected from two spots including the Pont Alexandre III, the Olympics venue. It found that none of the water samples met the EU regulatory standards for hygiene.

No Level Playing Field at Paris Olympics

When the Paris Olympics officially began on July 26, international media was quick to highlight the various inequities observable in the event.

As of July 29, approximately 191 openly queer athletes had been counted, a slight increase from the 186 counted at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. However, this represents only about 2% of the total number of athletes competing, which exceeds 10,500 sportspersons!

Obviously, these numbers aren’t inclusive of the actual number of queer athletes at the Olympics. Given that out of all the 206 countries being represented at the International Olympic Committee*, out of which only a small percentage of them recognise queer rights such as marriage equality or queer civil partnership unions, access to gender-affirmative care, etc. A majority of the member countries range anywhere between not recognising the existence of queer folx to enforcing the capital punishment for those found suspect of being queer. So even if there are other queer athletes, they may not feel safe enough to come out while officially representing their country.

Special Note: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a collective body formed by the nations participating in the Olympics, tasked with mediating and organizing the event.

This year, Russia and Belarus have been excluded from direct participation due to their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. However, athletes from these countries are permitted to compete under the neutral flag, i.e., they won’t be representing their country. Conversely, while Palestine continues to participate in the Olympics, only 8 athletes will represent the nation this year. Palestine, which has faced significant challenges due to its occupation by Israel, has seen severe casualties, including the reported killing of 342 athletes in Gaza over the past year. Despite these serious issues, Israel remains a participant in this year’s Games, raising questions about perceived double standards in the handling of international participation and human rights concerns.

Also read: Decolonizing Queerness – Abolish the Western Lens with Intersectional Collectivism

DEI Figures and Queer Representation at the Olympics

Historically, sports has been reduced to a cis-male dominated playground. Considering this, the growth in terms of gender and sexuality inclusivity seems to be getting better with each Olympic meet. ‘Better’ is of course subjective as the majority of the openly queer athletes belong to western nations. Not to forget, the existing restrictions that sporting events like these have on trans athletes in the name of “fair competition”. The misogynistic assumption that a sports person’s ability is based on their hormonal levels and other arbitrary, obsoletely gendered standards is giving bullsh*t. This year’s DEI silver lining was that this is the first ever Olympics to have an equal number of male-female athletes competing.

*Special Note: Grindr has been blocked around the Olympics residential village to ensure “no risks” happen. Risks cited by officials included were to protect privacy of the participants, in order to prevent non-consented outing or harassment.

Also read: “Jersey Number 49! Left Wingre!”: A Trans-man in a Women’s Football Team

India has 117 athletes counted for participating, which includes India’s first openly queer athlete, Dutee Chand. However, Dutee has declared it to be her last Olympics meet before her retirement at the age of 28.

Among all the openly queer athletes participating this year is also British diver, Tom Daley, who infamously said in 2021 that the Olympics should ban countries that have a death penalty for LGBTQ+ citizens. While the athlete’s sentiments may be stemming from the right place, how plausible would it be for the Olympics Committee to ban that many countries? Would it also involve banning countries like the US that have transphobic restrictions/bans to prevent trans folx from participating in sports at all? Not putting Daley on spot, but in general, how are we to navigate queerness in sports when queerness is not only about sexuality, but also about promoting trans-inclusion? Daley should take note that the UK recently banned trans female athletes from competing in many a women’s sporting event. Wouldn’t that be considered a death knell for the careers of trans-women athletes?

Also read: The Mask You Live in and the Parallels of American and Indian Sports Culture

There’s also the statement that applies the ban on any trans athlete who has not transitioned before the age of 12, stating that trans-women have an unfair advantage if they transition after puberty. The only sad excuse for trans-inclusive solution that the IOC currently has is that certain sports have a male/open category that allows some trans and non-binary athletes to participate (it’s giving Mumbai’s local railway compartment).

Drag Royalty Ate at the Opening Ceremony, not the Last Supper!

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics was not without controversy. It included performances by queer icons, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, and Aya Nakamura followed by a performance by drag queens, Nicky Doll, Paloma, Piche, Giselle Palmer, and Le Filip. Unsurprisingly, they received mixed responses, with the criticism coming from White, conservative Christian folx, who felt really bitter about watching fabulous drag queens perform. Ironically, they are also the same demographic that have had little response to the butchering of children in Jerusalem, Palestine, the native region of the man whose teachings they supposedly consider sacred. And why did they dislike the Drag performance? Is it because they were displaying their fabulousness and being openly queer on global screens? Yes and no. Here’s a summary of the social media uproar:

Their misunderstood depiction of The Last Supper, which was construed as offensive to Jesus Christ

THE CHILDREN!

It was perceived by them that the Drag queens were “mocking” Jesus Christ and their religion. However, on clarifications from the organizers, it was made known that it was in fact, meant to pay tribute to the Greek god, Dionysus; which was clear to the writer of this piece when the French actor and singer Phillipe Katerine came dressed as the god, using the evergreen fashion statement of leaves to remain mildly modest.

The other cause for complaint was the inclusion of children in the performance, and they are absolutely right! Can you imagine how tasting inclusivity and celebration at that young age could lead to so many kids being comfortable in their skin as they grow up? How will we then use religion to make everyone scared to live their lives authentically? Simply unacceptable!

On a more serious note, the overall political ‘neutrality’ of these events is making me question, how one event managed to offend so many people? And will this be the reason for the Olympics to become redundant in its current apolitical, white-appeasing form?