Photos of French President Emmanuel Macron tightly embracing his Sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera during the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics has gone viral on social media. Ms Oudea-Castera, 46, is also seen planting a kiss close to Mr Macron's neck, also 46 years old, reported The Telegraph. Gabriel Attal, France’s Prime Minister, can be seen looking the other way as Ms Oudea-Castera embraced the French president. The photos have caused a stir in France, with users comparing the affectionate display to a lover’s embrace.
"Gabriel Attal, he pretends to look elsewhere! He doesn't know where to stand," commented one user.
"It's my lover that I'm kissing like this. Embarrassing," said another.
"I find this photo indecent, it's not worthy of a president and a minister," a third user commented on X.
The photo became a major talking point on social media after French magazine Madame Figaro carried it first. It called the kiss “strange” and claimed Ms Oudea-Castera likes to draw attention to herself.
The Paris Olympics opened in a spectacular and unprecedented ceremony on the river Seine on Friday. The parade saw 7,500 competitors travel down a six-kilometre stretch of the Seine on a flotilla of 85 boats.
The opening ceremony also marked a boost for Mr Macron after two turbulent months that saw him call snap parliamentary election over the prospect of the far-right winning and forming a new government.
It lasted a marathon four hours, reaching a crescendo with a spectacular climax as the Olympic flame soared into the sky aboard a cauldron tethered to a balloon and Celine Dion serenaded Paris with an Edith Piaf song from the Eiffel Tower.