Paris 2024 unveiled this Friday noon in the great amphitheater of the Sorbonne, where Baron Pierre de Coubertin had relaunched the Olympic Games, the course of the torch relay. “A key moment that launches the festivities, a moment that marks memories and allows the host country to shine”, summarize the organizers, as the event will begin in Marseille on May 8, 2024. Here is all you need hold back.
10,000 porters, individual and collective relays
10,000 torchbearers will follow one another with the challenge of “valuing those who do sport, those who live sport, those who are committed and those who embody French excellence”. The bearers – “the scouts” according to Paris 2024 – will be athletes, famous or anonymous, personalities from the artistic, cultural or gastronomic world, members of associations, people who innovate, who work for the environment or to make the fairer and more equitable world.
Anonymous, who have applied or have been designated, may also be part of the adventure. New, collective relays (by bike) will also be organized (24 participants but only one carrier), in particular by the Olympic sports federations. Finally, each torchbearer will cover 200 m.
64 territories and more than 400 cities crossed from May 8, 2024
The route of the flame will crisscross France, between May 8, 2024 and July 26, 2024, when the last torchbearer will set the Olympic cauldron on fire, which will not be extinguished until August 11, at the end of the closing ceremony. 64 territories (including 5 overseas territories) and more than 400 cities will be crossed, with the principle of “one day – one department”. Some territories did not wish to commit (it was necessary in particular to pay 150,000 euros) and will therefore not be crossed.
Lit on April 16, 2024 in Olympia by the rays of the sun, the flame will carry out, according to tradition, a 9-day relay in Greece, before a handover ceremony on April 26 at the Panathenaic stadium in Athens. The next day, she will embark, from the port of Piraeus, on board the Belem, an old three-master where she will be escorted by 15 young people chosen as part of an integration program launched by the Caisse d’Epargne, the one of the sponsors of the relay.
The original Olympic flame in Athens (Photo Icon Sport) SUSA / Icon Sport
The arrival in Marseille is scheduled for May 8. Two days of festivities are planned, with passages in particular by the marina of Roucas blanc, Olympic site for sailing, the Velodrome of Marseille, the northern districts of the city and our Lady of the guard. At each stage, a “safety bubble” around the bearer and the torch will be put in place to ensure the relay runs smoothly, while “guardians of the flame” ensure that it does not go out. ever, including at night.
Four cities, three iconic sites per day and festivities
In the departments crossed, the flame will not be visible everywhere. The relay does not take place continuously (like the Tour caravan), but in segments, which follow one another throughout the day. Seven points are highlighted in each territory: four cities with a large population base (so that a maximum of inhabitants can see the flame) and three symbolic sites (place steeped in history, sports arena or cultural heritage, etc.) .
There is not one convoy, but two. One (the commitment convoy) passes through the four major cities. The other, smaller one (the agile convoy), connects the three symbolic sites. In each city and in each symbolic site a relay is organized (alternately), according to the same ritual: a first torch is lit, the torchbearers follow one another then the flame returns to its lantern, until the next stage.
In the evening, the fourth city transforms into a stopover town and a site of celebration. A mini-cauldron will be lit (around 7:30 p.m.), entertainment will be offered by Coca-Cola, also sponsor of the relay. In 8 of the 64 stopover towns, concerts will be organised, bringing together local artists, known or emerging, of all musical styles and genres.
Mont Blanc, the vineyards and the Palace of Versailles
The route was co-constructed between Paris 2024 and the territories crossed. It highlights the history of France, the natural heritage, the French know-how and the vitality of sport, everywhere in France. With a few highlights: on June 7, the flame will leave Brest for the West Indies, aboard Armel Le Cléac’h’s maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire, for a 7-day crossing, with prestigious athletes on board, with a connection with the sea (we can, for example, think of Jean Galfione, Olympic champion in the pole vault, today skipper).
Meanwhile, the other overseas territories – Polynesia, Guyana and Reunion – will be in the spotlight. Note that if there is only one original flame, it is kept in several lanterns, which allows it to be in several places at the same time – however only one torch is lit.
On July 14, 2024, she will be in Paris, and she will return there on July 26, when the cauldron burns. The flame will also pass through emblematic sites: Mont Saint-Michel, the Palace of Versailles, the medieval city of Carcassonne, the house of Jean d’Arc in Orléans and the Charles de Gaulle Memorial in Colombey-les-deux-églises. .
On the natural heritage side, it will go to Mont Blanc, Canigou, Pic du Midi and the Gorges du Verdon. In order to showcase French know-how, it will reach several vineyards, cross the Millau viaduct and go to the Kourou space center. Culture will be embodied in the Puy du Fou, the arenas of Arles and the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Sport will not be forgotten with the Mont Ventoux or the Stade Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes.
