Explained why wasn’t Joao Chianca allowed to use a surfboard with the image of Jesus Christ at the 2024 Olympics

Know more about Joao Chianca as the Brazilian surfer is in the headlines after claims emerged online that he had to remove an image of Jesus Christ from his surfboard to avoid disqualification at Paris Olympics 2024

Not aware of the situation, here’s the brief.

Recently, reports emerged online suggesting that the 23-year-old surfer claimed that he had to remove a picture of the Jesus Christ from his surfboard as it was deemed a religious symbol.

The Olympic surfer claimed that he had to remove it to avoid disqualification from the competition.

Explained why wasn’t surfer Joao Chianca allowed to use a surfboard with the image of Jesus Christ at the 2024 Olympics

Taking the matter to Instagram, Chianca revealed the reason behind removing the picture of Jesus Christ from his surfboard before eventually deleting the post.

According to Chianca, two weeks before the games, he was ordered to remove the image of Jesus Christ from his surfboard or face exclusion from the competition.

In the now-deleted Instagram story, Chianca explained that he was not allowed to display Jesus on his board because “Christ is a religious figure” and “the games have strict rules focusing on total neutrality.”

PARIS OLYMPICS NEWS 💡 Brazilian surfer Joao Chianca was told to remove Jesus Christ from his board. He was told “Christ is a religious figure" and "the games have strict rules and focus on total neutrality."
SHOULDN’T THEY HAVE THE SAME RULES FOR THE OPENING CEREMONY? pic.twitter.com/9iVusdU63f

— YouWontBelieveMe (@markhanalla) July 28, 2024

Although religious neutrality is part of the games’ rules, many people pointed out inconsistencies with what was shown during the opening ceremony.

About Joao Chianca

For the unfamiliar, Joao Chianca whose full name is João Vítor de Azeredo Chianca, was born on August 30, 2000, in Saquarema. He is a popular Brazilian professional surfer in the World Surf League (WSL), who qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The younger brother of Lucas Chumbo and the son of Gustavo Chumbão, Chianca made his debut in the main surfing competition in 2022. In the 2023 season, he was a semifinalist in the first two competitions in Hawaii and won his first title in Portugal at Supertubos Beach.

Brazilian surfer João Chianca revealed in a now-deleted social media post that the Christ the Redeemer painting was banned from his surfboards by the Olympic authority. They pointed out that the “painting is not authorized at the Olympic Games because Christ is a religious… pic.twitter.com/CMGXRPmLzH

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) July 28, 2024

After debuting in the World Surfing Elite in 2022, Chianca was unable to maintain his position after the mid-season cut.

Competing in the Challenge Series later in 2022, he reclassified and returned to the Championship Tour (CT) in 2023.

In 2023, Chianca had his best career finish. He started the season strong with two 3rd places in the first two events and his first CT victory at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal event, defeating Jack Robinson in the final.

At the end of the season, he achieved his first classification at the WSL Finals, beating Jack Robinson in the first heat and losing to Ethan Ewing shortly thereafter, finishing in fourth place, his best in the CT.

Additionally, he secured Brazil’s second spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, marking his first Olympic participation.

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