Controversies erupted at the Paris 2024 Olympics from gender fairness debates and sexist remarks to a spying scandal and water quality concerns.
Through all the scandals, the Olympics continues to fight for fairness and equality among its athletes.
"Paris 2024 is committed to combating all forms of discrimination, which are in every way contrary to the Olympic and Paralympic values," an Olympic spokesperson said in a statement. "We would like to remind everyone that the Games are a time for harmony and tolerance."
Boxer Backlash
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif faces controversy after her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, withdrew from their bout at the Paris Olympics.
Critics, including Donald Trump and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, have raised concerns about gender in sports. The 2023 World Championships disqualified Khelif due to high testosterone levels, and the IOC deemed the decision arbitrary and flawed.
Khelif has had a varied career with some success in regional tournaments and the Tokyo Olympics. Her recent victory over Carini in just 46 seconds has intensified debate about her eligibility and gender fairness in sports.
Commentators have criticized the IBA's disqualification process for its lack of transparency. The IOC insists no scientific or political consensus exists on gender and fairness. Despite the controversy, Khelif remains a strong competitor, though people do not yet consider her the top contender.
"We strongly condemn the harassment she has been subjected to," an Olympic spokesperson told Newsweek. "It is unacceptable and goes against the values of Olympism which we stand for."
Sexist Remarks
The French Association of Women Sports Journalists and the Union of Sports Journalists in France are condemning the commentator for making sexist remarks on national radio during a women's tennis match at the Paris Olympics.
The commentator used outdated stereotypes about housewives to describe a player.
During a doubles match between France's Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry and Italy's Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, a commentator from RMC radio said: "On the left, there's Sara Errani, who's the boss. She does everything: the washing up, the cooking, the mopping up."
In a joint statement, both unions said "sexist and misogynistic comments have no place in an international competition."
This is not the only incident, Eurosport suspended a commentator working for the company immediately for making sexist comments during a swimming event at the Games."
After the women's 4x100-meter freestyle race, as the athletes were walking off and exiting the pool, Bob Ballard commented, "The women are just finishing up. You know what women are like, hanging around, doing their makeup."
Spying Scandal
Canadian soccer officials admitted to FIFA they routinely spied on opponents for both the men's and women's national teams.
Officials punished the women's team for using drones at the Paris Olympics. The scandal threatens to affect the men's team at the 2026 World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting.
Canada is accused of spying on New Zealand practices before their opening game. Despite winning their first two games, they started with zero points. Canada won 1-0 against Colombia to reach the quarterfinals but faced reputation damage.
Canada's appeal was denied, so they must accept a six-point deduction, a 200,000 Swiss franc ($227,000) fine, and one-year bans for head coach Bev Priestman, an assistant coach, and a performance analyst who used the spying drone.
Priestman apologized to players and authorities suspended team analyst Joseph Lombardi for eight months for using a drone. New Zealand's soccer federation filed a formal complaint, but Canada won the game 2-1.
FIFA judge Neil Eggleston stressed the importance of Canadian officials maintaining ethical standards and said a Canadian investigation will decide if additional measures are needed.
Contaminated River
Swimming has been prohibited in the long-polluted Seine River in Paris for over a century. However, with the Olympic swimming events underway, the city put $1.5 billion toward cleanup efforts.
Officials are closely monitoring water quality, as athletes could experience health effects from swimming in a river with elevated levels of E. coli or other bacteria.
High levels of E. coli and enterococci indicate sewage or fecal contamination in the water. While most strains are harmless and some reside in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, others can be dangerous.
"We'll never keep rain events from having an impact on the water quality. That's not possible," Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan said. "What we've done will allow us to return to a water quality that is satisfactory and good like it was for the triathlon."
Testing will continue ahead of the marathon swimming races scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Officials will announce decisions on whether to cancel an event the morning of the race.
According to an Olympic spokesperson, there have been no confirmed e-coli diagnoses.
Opening Ceremony
The sequence Thomas Jolly created for the Paris 2024 Olympics depicts a grand pagan feast with the gods of Olympus in attendance. A French singer painted blue humorously embodies the God of wine, Dionysus, at the forefront.
Jolly clarified in a statement his inspiration did not come from Da Vinci's Last Supper.
"It wasn't the source of my inspiration, and I believe it was quite clear: Dionysus is joining the banquet because he is the God of feasts and wine," he said in a statement.
Titled "Festivity," this sequence marks the end of the athletes' parade and encourages celebration around a podium highlighting young French designers and various dance styles.
Amid numerous reactions, Paris 2024 Olympics officials expressed regret if the scene offended anyone, stating it was never their intention to offend.
Jolly also addressed the misunderstanding, saying, "You will never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone. I wanted to create a ceremony that would repair, reconcile, and reaffirm the values that are those of our Republic."
Hijab Ban
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla took part in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony wearing a cap. An agreement with the French Olympic Committee resulted after the committee initially told Sylla she couldn't participate due to her hijab.
The organizers asked Sylla, who has competed with a black headscarf at several previous events, to wear a blue cap to cover her hair.
"In consultation with the French Athletics Federation, the French Ministry of Sports, Paris 2024, and Berluti, discussions were held with Sounkamba Sylla," the French Olympic Committee said in a statement. "She was offered the possibility of wearing a cap during the parade, which she accepted."
The president of the French Olympic Committee stated French Olympians are subject to the same principles that apply to public sector workers in France, which includes a ban on hijabs to maintain the separation of state and church.
"We finally reached an agreement so that I could take part in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games," the 26-year-old Sylla said via Instagram. "I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your mobilization and support since the beginning."
Anti-Semitic Display
The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into potential anti-Semitic crimes during an Olympic football match between Israel and Paraguay last Saturday.
According to a spokesperson, there were reports of numerous gestures and chants during the game referring to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza. Some spectators displayed a banner reading 'Genocide Olympics' in a bold, black font.
Reports indicate parts of the crowd booed Israel's national anthem. with some Israeli supporters chanting "free the hostages" back, news agency AFP reported.
Paris Olympic Response
Newsweek reached out to the Olympics regarding these controversies, but they stated they could not respond to every incident as many of them are outside their jurisdiction.
"The Olympics have gone very smoothly overall, there are so many things that could have gone wrong which haven't yet," an Olympic spokesperson told Newsweek. "It would take an eternity to go through the list of things that have gone right."
They also said the reaction on social media and from the public in Paris has been overwhelmingly positive, with 79% of French people feeling optimistic about the event's success.
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