Olympics Officials Force Gold Medal Favorite To Remove Christ Graphic From Surfboards
The surfer says he was told ‘the games have strict rules and focus on total neutrality.’
A Brazilian surfer who is a favorite to win a gold medal at the Olympcis, Joao Chianca, has been ordered to remove an image of Christ from his surfboards to avoid disqualification from a competition.
The athlete shared the news on his Instagram account, though the post has since been deleted, according to website DiedSuddenly.
Mr. Chianca said he was instructed two weeks before the competition began to remove the image of Christ the Redeemer — the 100-foot statue of Jesus Christ built atop Corcovado mountain at Rio de Janeiro — or face exclusion from the competition. The surfing takes place over four days in a 10-day window, between July 27 and August 5.
In the deleted Instagram story, Mr. Chianca noted that he was not permitted to have Jesus on his board because “Christ is a religious figure” and “the games have strict rules and focus on total neutrality.”
Mr. Chianca complied with the directive and is currently competing. The incident has sparked discussions online, with some internet users questioning the consistency of the rules, especially in light of the opening ceremony, which was deemed to be heavily anti-religion.
“They violated their own rules,” one X user commented.
