Olympic athletes are facing a ban on Christian symbols at the Olympics despite the opening ceremony featuring an obvious parody of a Christian symbol, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper.
On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) forced the Brazilian surfer João Chianca to remove an image of Christ the Redeemer from his surfboard.
“The painting is not authorized in the Olympic Games because Christ is a religious figure,” the athlete posted on social media, though the post was removed shortly afterward. “The Games have strict rules and focus on total neutrality.”
Article 50 of the Olympic Charter states that “no type of political, religious or racial demonstration or propaganda is permitted in any Olympic venue.”
Although the surfer did not keep the post up for long, it elicited indignant responses from his many followers in a short time.
Another Brazilian athlete, Rayssa Leal, used sign language to quote a Bible verse and avoid being called out for breaking Article 50 when she won bronze in the ladies street skateboarding event last Sunday. She made history in the 2021 games in Tokyo when she became the youngest Olympic medalist at age 13. She took bronze in the same event at this year’s games.
Shortly before her performance she turned to the television cameras and said, in sign language, a verse from the Gospel of Saint John: “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.”
No one knew what to make of her hand movements at first, until someone published on social media a translation and the post went viral.
“When I was very young, I dreamed of becoming an athlete skateboarder,” Leal told reporters on Sunday after taking bronze. “And here I am, with a second Olympic medal from the Games. Once again, thank God I won a medal. I am very happy to be here.”