It seems that religious controversies surrounding the Paris Olympics started even before the opening ceremony. Brazilian surfer Joao Chianca found out when his surfboard, decorated with an image of Jesus, was deemed a religious symbol. According to the athlete, he had to remove it to avoid being disqualified from the competition.

The story of the surfer is detailed on social media. Joao Chianca shared it on his Instagram but eventually deleted the post. According to Chianca, two weeks before the games, he received an order to remove the image of Jesus Christ from his surfboard, or else he would be excluded from the competition.

In the now-deleted Instagram story, Chianca commented that he is not authorized to place Jesus on his board because “Christ is a religious figure” and “the games have strict rules and focus on total neutrality.” The authors asked in a post on X, “Joao appears to have complied and is competing today. Do you believe he should have stood his ground and dropped out?”

The opening ceremony wasn’t the only anti-Christian message sent to the world by the Olympic committee.

Two weeks before the games, Brazilian surfer Joao Chianca was ordered to remove the image of Jesus Christ from his surfboard, or be barred from competing.

Chianca commented… pic.twitter.com/FSZdAPTUOY

— DiedSuddenly (@DiedSuddenly_) July 27, 2024

Although religious neutrality is indeed part of the games’ rules, many people point out that this rule is inconsistent with what was shown during the opening ceremony. “They violated their own rules,” wrote one internet user.