The Olympic flame is making its second crossing in Hauts-de-France. After the North and Lille, this Wednesday, July 3, Pas de Calais and Lens will host the 47th stage. There will be 114 people carrying the flame during the day.
It will leave at 8:20 am from Calais. The start will be given from the beach and the Digue Gaston Berthe. The flame will pass in front of the Place d’Armes, the Notre Dame church from the rue Royale, the Parc Richelieu, the town hall before taking the boulevard Jacquard to arrive at 9:22 am at the Grand Théâtre.
Then head to Saint-Omer for a short stopover. Departure will take place from Place du Maréchal-Foch at 9:30 a.m. for an arrival at the Stade Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil at 9:52 a.m., with a passage in front of the Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer cathedral.
The crossing of Boulogne-sur-Mer will be one of the highlights of the day. The flame will leave at 10:39 from the beach of Boulogne-sur-Mer. It is a collective relay, that of the French Wrestling Federation, which will begin to carry the flame. The Entente Lutte Côte d’Opale, chaired by Lise Legrand, one of the first women to win a medal in wrestling at the 2004 Olympic Games, is one of the most important club structures in France. The captain of this relay of 24 wrestlers who have developed a choreography that will mix dance and wrestling on the beach, will be Régine Le Gleut – Leturcq, who has participated in five Olympic Games as a referee.
After this departure, the flame will pass in front of Nausicaá, the largest aquarium in Europe, then go along the Port de Plaisance via Boulevard Gambetta. It will then reach the city center via Grande Rue and Boulevard du Prince Albert and pass in front of the Belfry and Jardin Éphémère, the crypt of the Notre-Dame Basilica, then the Aumont castle museum. The arrival will take place at the Stade de la Libération, used by the USBCO footballers, at 11:59.
After Boulogne-sur-Mer, head to Berck-sur-Mer for a 20-minute stopover between 12:49 and 1:09 p.m. The flame will leave from the Grande Roue, pass in front of the Notre Dame des Sables church, the roundabout of the cottage des Dunes to arrive at the Palais des Sports via rue Pierre Guilbert.
The flame will then join the prefecture of Pas-de-Calais, Arras. The departure will take place at 3:27 p.m. from the Grand Arras nautical stadium, then the route will make a loop in the city center, passing in front of the town hall, the Notre Dame de l’Assomption and Saint-Vaast cathedral, the Philippe Rapeneau hall to arrive at the Grand’Place at 4:35 p.m.
Then it will be time to take a breather at the Parc Ohain in Maisnil-lès-Ruitz, a departmental nature and leisure park deeply rooted in this Béthune-Bruay region. The departure will take place from the Belvédère at 4:55 p.m. for an arrival at 5:20 p.m. But all day long, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free initiations will be offered around the 30 sports disciplines represented in the Park. They will be supervised by sports associations, clubs, committees, leagues or federations.
After this stop in nature, it will be the destination of Liévin in Lens. The departure will be made at 5:45 p.m. from the sports center then the flame will pass in front of the Arena covered stadium, which hosts the indoor athletics meeting then will join Lens and two unmissable places of the city, the Louvre-Lens and the Bollaert-Delelis stadium of the RC Lens footballers.
The finish line will be at the Coliseum, Place Jean-Jaures. This is where the lighting of the cauldron will take place at 7:30 p.m. Entertainment is planned from 3:30 p.m., Place Jean Jaures.
