Serena Williams spoke for millions of disappointed Olympic fans as she pulled an anguished face during the opening ceremony.
The tennis star looked worse for wear as she rode down the River Seine on a high-speed boat as a torch bearer for the Paris games.
She was joined by Rafael Nadal, nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis, and former Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci as they made their way through driving rain and choppy waters.
The boat was part of a four-hour ceremony centred around the French capital’s river and it was going so fast that Nadal fretted that the flame might go out.
Tennis Ace Serena Williams suddenly made an anguished face as she hurtled down the River Seine
Viewers watching the opening ceremony commented that Williams looked how many felt
Some speculated that the tennis champion looked as though she was about to be sick while riding the boat
Williams seemed to have been enjoying the ride as she waved to fans, but she suddenly gasped and needed to quickly grab onto Comancei to keep steady.
People watching footage of the four-time Olympic gold medallist commented that they thought she looked like she might be sick and that she looked like how people felt watching the controversial opening.
One person said online: ‘This is how the rest of us felt watching it.’
Someone else said online: ‘She hated it as much as everyone else!’
Another quipped: ‘She saw the rest of the opening ceremony.’
Rafael Nadal of Team Spain, American Former Tennis Player Serena Williams, American Track Athlete Carl Lewis and Romanian Gymnast Nadia Comaneci carry the torch on a boat on the River Seine
The Olympic ceremony has been mired in controversy with some claiming it is the ‘worst ever’
A social media user said: ‘Much of the audience felt sick, too.’
Another said: ‘What an embarrassment to France that opening ceremony was. The French people must be fuming.’
Another person added: ‘I thought Serena was going to be sick.’
And another person said: ‘Yeah the whole thing was sickening.’
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony has been slammed by critics who dubbed it the ‘worst ever’ with poor audio caused by the near-torrential rain and some joking online that organisers needed to ‘stop the boats’.
At one point, as the long line of boats filled with athletes made its way down the Seine, an embarrassing moment saw South Korea labelled North Korea by the announcers.
As the South Korean delegation sailed down the Seine River, they were introduced with the official name for North Korea: ‘Republique populaire democratique de Coree’ in French, then ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’ in English.
The IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account: ‘We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony.’
Serena Williams laughs and looks happy prior to being handed the Olympics torch for the opening ceremony
Serena Williams attends the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024
Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched 6,800 athletes covered in plastic ponchos as they attempted to keep spirits high while travelling down the river Seine in a huge flotilla of 85 boats.
Performances from Lady Gaga and approximately 3,000 dancers, acrobats and actors were hard to hear over the sound of rain, with viewers slamming it as ‘the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory’.
But among the various artistic tableaus, named after French values such as freedom, fraternity and equality, it was the last supper-style performance in ‘festivité’ – or party – scene which caused the most controversy.
Complete with models, dancers, fashion icons and drag queens from the host nation, the performance took place on a bridge over the capital’s river around a table, which also doubled as a catwalk.
Other bizarre moments saw a singer dressed as a headless Marie Antoinette
A catwalk-turned-stage element of the opening ceremony was criticised by some Christians for allegedly parodying the last supper
A performer painted blue and covered in flowers and fruit, depicting the Greek god Dionysus, sang in French
At the centre was a woman in front of DJ equipment with a golden halo-style crown, surrounded by several drag queens and dozens of dancers and performers.
Some people accused organisers of creating a ‘woke’ parody of the Last Supper – a painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Jesus’ last meal with his disciples.
Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who has come under criticism for his conservative beliefs, including towards his own daughter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Christianity has become toothless.’
Later in the show, the most bizarre moment of the night saw a giant platter bedecked in fake fruits and other foods with a ‘smurf’ resting among them.
The man, dressed in a skintight blue bodysuit that left very little to the imagination, was dressed as the Greek God of wine, festivity and theatre, Dionysus.
