God at the Games

The Paris Summer Olympics will bring together millions of viewers and more than 10,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees. It’s a chance for athletes to vie for the top place in their respective sports, and it’s an occasion to watch the historic event for the millions of attendees who flood the city. But the Olympics also pose a unique opportunity for Christian outreach.

At this year’s Olympics, “I estimate that 75 churches and ministries will be active in over 300 events,” Matthew Glock told Christian Courier. Glock is the director of Ensemble 2024, a collaboration between various Christian associations, churches, clubs and individuals whose aim is to create a platform through which they can serve and minister to people in Paris during the Games. Their ministry work includes an online tool where people can sign up to pray for specific Olympians, as well as an information page on Olympian stories of faith. They also host and advertise various events taking place during the Olympics, including special multilingual services and extended hours for athletes at some churches.

For Parisian Christian groups like Ensemble, preparation for Olympic ministry began many months in advance. In January, Youth With a Mission (YWAM) advertised Paris Je T’Aime, a three-week-long program aiming to reach 1,000 people during the Olympics through offering worship nights, working with Paris’ homeless population, and hosting live events. Additionally, in advance of the Opening Ceremonies, the American Church of Paris broadcasted a service to prepare for the weeks ahead and to recognize the presence of Christianity in the history of the Games.

“By fostering this collective effort,” Glock says, “[we] aim to create meaningful and lasting influence through the spirit of service and community engagement.” This sentiment is shared among various Christian ministries seeking to provide acts of service, loving commitment and a sense of community for those in Paris this summer.

The Archdiocese of Paris and the French Bishops Conference teamed up for a project called the “Holy Games,” which plans to bring spectators together to watch broadcasts of Olympic events and then celebrate Mass. In downtown Paris, La Madeleine church has also set up the “Our Lady of Atheletes” chapel where candles can be lit for specific athletes. Despite France’s historic roots in Catholicism, religious attendance in the country is low at present, with many people only nominally Catholic. Organizers of the “Holy Games” hope to help reclaim this history by celebrating the Games in the fellowship of parishes across the city.

Though the artist denied that the omission was deliberate, the famous cross on the top of the Les Invalides dome was notably missing from the official poster of France promoting the summer Olympics (see graphic above, circled in red). Furthermore, one of France’s Olympic rules includes a ban on displays of religious symbols by its athletes, from hijabs to ornamental crosses. Though this does not apply to athletes from other nations, many fear that this stipulation, along with the missing cross on the artistic depiction of Les Invalides, is a deliberate erasure of France’s Catholic roots as France becomes an increasingly secular state.

The Olympics, though a seemingly peaceful display of international relations, take place amidst ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and the Ukraine; amid cries to ban Azerbaijan from participating and concerns of an increase in sex work during the Games. But the Olympics also provide a unique opportunity for people to gather from all over the world to celebrate diverse cultures, community and the God-given gift of play.

“The call of Jesus to love and serve,” Glock says, “extends to all.” A calling which certainly extends to the Paris Olympics, too.