The route of the Olympic flame was unveiled at the Sorbonne on Friday June 23, just over a year from the Olympic Games.
“The Games are the largest spaces in the world”, these are the first words of the president of the OCOG (Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games) Tony Estanguet on one of the platforms of an amphitheater at the Sorbonne this Friday, June 23. It was the day of the presentation of the route of the Olympic flame, a very important step just over a year from the Olympics. He talked a lot about “first time”. The torch “will open to the city, for the first time an event will be open to the general public with the marathon for all, for the first time, we will go to overseas territories” welcomed the former Olympic canoe champion.
Exceptional places will therefore be crossed by the Olympic flame. The torch will leave Olympia on April 16, 2024 and will arrive in Marseille on May 8, 2024. “The flame will be the first guest of these Games. The journey between Greece and Marseille will be a link”, specifies Tony Estanguet. “We want to go as far as possible to meet people”. France is therefore preparing to host the Olympic Games for the 6th time in its history (the Summer Games in Paris in 1900 and 1924, the Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992).
The mayor of Paris was invited to speak during this ceremony and she described the capital as “the most beautiful city in the world. This symbol can carry the country, those who wish to find themselves in Paris. I am proud to having submitted this candidacy. This course of the Flame, it is the energy of a country, the desire to find itself”. The flame will arrive in its locality on a symbolic and historic day, July 14 (taking of the Bastille in 1789). Once in the Paris region, the torch will be transported to the surrounding area such as the Château de Fontainebleau or that of Versailles before ending its journey on July 26.
Greece will be, as tradition dictates, the starting point of the Olympic flame. She will then set off aboard the famous 19th century three-master, the Belem. The boat will reach Marseille after about ten days. The Marseille city will be the first stage city in France. It was chosen by the organization because of its location and its historical proximity to Greece. From the South of France, it should then travel the rest of the country, crossing many metropolises but also tourist sites, showcases of French heritage.
Marseille, Carcassonne, Bastia, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Les Sables d’Olonne, Mont-Saint-Michel, overseas territories, Lille or Paris, the route and dates of the Olympic flame were unveiled on Friday June 23. (The places in parentheses are the sites crossed).
For the flame to pass through a territory, the departments had to invest 150,000 euros excluding tax (€180,000 with). Nearly 37 departmental councils, however, refused to host the torch, believing that there were other financial priorities. “About a quarter of the cost is borne by the Departments. The other three quarters are borne by the Organizing Committee”, tried to justify Tony Estanguet at the time. For some departments such as Lozère, hosting the flame represents a cost of €2.35 per inhabitant compared to less than 9 cents for Bouches-du-Rhône.
The flame will therefore not pass through the following territories: Ardennes, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Vosges, Haute-Saône, Territoire de Belfort, Jura, Saône-et-Loire, Ain, Rhône, Savoie, Hautes- Alps, Saône-et-Loire, Nièvre, Cher, Gard, Ardèche, Haute-Loire, Lozère, Cantal, Puy-de-Dôme, Corrèze, Creuse, Haute-Vienne, Lot, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes, Charente-Maritime, Indre-et-Loire, Sarthe, Orne, Côtes d’Armor, Mayotte.
Approximately 10,000 people will be able to carry the Olympic flame. Among these “chosen ones”, there will obviously be high-level athletes, associations or collectives, people with disabilities or volunteers who have previously been drawn by lot. Small innovation, there will be collective relays in groups of 24. They will be nearly 3,000. Individually, they will be approximately 7,000. In total, 5,000 applications would be analyzed and studied by juries “spread all over France” after the official website of “Paris 2024”. There are, however, certain conditions required to hope to become a torchbearer. You must first be 15 years or older. You must then be a member of the Paris 2024 club or register to be one. Finally, you have to nominate a relative and explain how “they carry within them, the energy of sport, the energy of the territories and the energy of the collective”, details during the “Paris 2024” procedure. This process takes about ten minutes in total. Each torchbearer chosen will travel approximately 200 meters and will enjoy this unique moment for nearly 4 minutes.
Two captains have been appointed for this Olympic flame. They are Laure Manaudou and her brother Florent. Regarding the Paralympic flame, Mona Francis and Dimitri Pavadé were chosen. With the exception of Mona Francis, they have all been medalists at the Games. The first ambassadors will be Marine Lorphelin, Thomas Pesquet, Djamel Debouze and chef Thierry Marx.
The sporting side will be at the heart of the Olympic torch relay with the French cycling federation bringing the torch by bike to the top of Mont Ventoux. Armel Le Cléac’h will ensure the transition of the flame on the overseas territories. The crew of the 2016 Vendée Globe winner is still unknown and the time record holder in the biggest single-handed event has kept it a secret. On the other hand, he promised distinguished guests but “they have to have a little sea legs” he laughed during the ceremony of presentation of the route of the flame.
Each time, it is one of the issues around the Olympic flame. It must not turn off. There will therefore always be a “keeper of the flame”. He will have at his disposal a security lantern to watch over him or revive him in the event of an unforeseen event. The torch could also be exposed to protest movements such as “no pensions, no Olympics” which occurred in April 2023 against the pension reform. A more serious scenario is feared by the authorities. These are terrorist attacks. A huge device will be set up accordingly during this “traveling bubble”. Police and gendarmes will be mobilized, surveillance drones and anti-drones deployed and security agencies called.
