in Villefranche-sur-Mer, a flame of profundis – Libération

After an overseas tour, the Olympic torch relay resumed this week in mainland France. In the Alpes-Maritimes, the torch plunged into the waters of the Mediterranean.

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She dove. The Olympic flame took a dip in the Mediterranean on Tuesday June 18 before being brought to the surface by freediving champion Alice Modolo. The flame was submerged about forty meters underwater in the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer (Alpes-Maritimes), a privileged site for freediving practice and competitions due to its sheltered depth. currents. This is not the first time that the Olympic torch relay has been delayed. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she swam near the Great Barrier Reef, spending nearly three minutes underwater. Before the Winter Olympics in Sochi (Russia) in 2014, divers took turns at a depth of 13 meters in Lake Baikal. In both cases, innovative chemical solutions had enabled combustion – or the illusion of combustion – underwater.

But this option was not retained on Tuesday, mainly for safety reasons for the freediver. After working with the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Côte d’Azur, pyrotechnicians, amusement parks and diving professionals, the Alpes-Maritimes department opted for a miniature military diving tank and a LED system controlled by a microcontroller to give the appearance of a real flame. A dental surgeon from Auvergne who left everything to settle on the Côte d’Azur and devote herself to apnea, Alice Modolo, the first Frenchwoman to reach the 100 meter mark and currently vice-world champion, emerged shortly after 8 a.m., surrounded by divers. With a traditional torch and flame, she then climbed onto the bow of a small boat to reach the port of Villefranche. “I’m all trembling,” she exclaimed while passing on the flame, which then left for a tour of the department bordering Italy, between relays by the sea and summer tobogganing or ziplining in resorts. mountain.