The Olympics has been filled with controversy surrounding Christianity this year, and it appears that these storms are not over yet.
A Brazilian surfer competing in this year’s Olympics, Joao Chianca, was reportedly forced to remove images of Jesus Christ on his surf board before the start of the games.
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The X account, DiedSuddenly, posted the image of Chianca with his boards, which resembled Christ the Redeemer with the Brazilian flag in the background.
“The opening ceremony wasn’t the only anti-Christian message sent to the world by the Olympic committee,” the post reads. “Two weeks before the games, Brazilian surfer Joao Chianca was ordered to remove the image of Jesus Christ from his surfboard, or be barred from competing.”
It is noted in the post that Chianca shared the news in an Instagram story that has now been deleted.
“Chianca commented in a now deleted Instagram story that he was not authorized to have Jesus on his board because ‘Christ is a religious figure’ and ‘the games have strict rules and focus on total neutrality,'” the X post continued.
Chianca is still competing at the games. In a post on Instagram, Chianca posted a photo of him bowing his head and hands in the water. The question posed by DiedSuddenly was whether or not he should have complied or dropped out of the Olympics.
“Do you believe he should have stood his ground and dropped out?” the X post asked.
This Olympic season has been filled with more discussions about Christianity and faith than anyone ever expected. As the subjects of darkness and light continue to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, let’s remember to press in and pray for more people to hear and receive the good news of the gospel.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
