Paris 2024 organisers have apologised to Catholics and other Christian groups angered by a segment in the Olympic Games opening ceremony that parodied Leonardo Da Vinci's famous 'The Last Supper' painting.

The sequence, which resembled the biblical scene, featured drag queens, a transgender model, and a naked singer made up as the Greek god of wine Dionysus. It drew dismay from the Catholic Church.

Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference: "Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. (The opening ceremony) tried to celebrate community tolerance.

"We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry."

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France, while proud of its rich Catholic heritage, also has a long tradition of secularism and anti-clericalism. Blasphemy is not only legal, but also considered by many as an essential pillar of freedom of speech.

Supporters of the tableau praised its message of inclusivity and tolerance.

The Catholic church in France said it deplored a ceremony that "included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity".

Some French athletes had trouble sleeping because of the fallout from the controversy, said Monsignor Emmanuel Gobilliard, delegate of the Bishops of France for the Games.

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Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the highest ranking Catholic official in Malta and an official for the Vatican's powerful doctrinal office, said he had contacted France's ambassador to Malta to complain about the "gratuitous insult".

In a message to the ambassador shared on X, he wrote: "I would like to express my distress and great disappointment at the insult to us Christians during the opening ceremony ... when a group of drag artists parodied the Last Supper of Jesus."

Some commentators said the controversy was another example of 21st century culture wars turbocharged by a 24-hour news cycle and social media.

Thomas Jolly, the artistic director and mastermind behind the opening ceremony, said religious subversion had never been his intention.

Jolly told reporters: "We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that."

Elsewhere at the Games, there were boos among the crowd as Netherlands beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde, a convicted rapist, made his Paris 2024 debut.

Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison in Britain in 2016 following the rape of a 12-year-old girl two years earlier when he was 19.