In the spans of the 27th edition of the Olympic Collectors World Fair, from June 23 to 25, 2023 in Paris, his stall does not go unnoticed. Kader Si-Tayeb has been collecting an emblematic object of the Games for twenty years: the Olympic torches. Immersed in an unusual collection steeped in history.
The Charléty stadium in Paris looks like Ali Baba’s cave at the start of summer 2023. The Olympic and Paralympic Games will only take place in a little over a year in the City of Lights, but the fervor is already mounting. And the spirit of the Games reigns in the sports arena.
Some 150 Games enthusiasts from more than 20 different countries gathered for the World Olympic Collectors’ Fair. Their cargoes are spread out before the eyes of the curious and bargain hunters. Pins and badges number in the thousands. Games tickets, programs and posters are everywhere. There are also autographed photos, rare stamps, official uniforms, medals…
And then there is Kader Si-Tayeb’s stand. In front of him stands a series of emblematic objects of Olympism: the torches. The famous torches that take the Olympic flame around the world, from its Greek cradle to the host cities of the Games.
” It feels like we’re part of the Games »
Kader Si-Tayeb was stung by the Games about 20 years ago. At the time, this Frenchman worked as an engineer but wanted to reorient himself in sports events. An opportunity arises when the XV Asian Games are preparing. For the first time, they are planned in the Middle East, in Doha in Qatar, from December 1 to 15, 2006. Kader Si-Tayeb is hired to organize the Olympic torch relay.
” That’s how I did my first international event, he explains. Then I was able to reproduce on the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympicsthe 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics… It became my job. And a passion.
The torch used by the last torchbearer to light the Olympic cauldron is carefully guarded. But apart from this one, apart because it is very iconic, hundreds or thousands of torches are designed for the torchbearers who carry the flame all the way to the opening ceremony.
In 2006, for the Asian Games in Doha, Kader Si-Tayeb took care of the organization and had the privilege of being among the runners: this is how he obtained his first “collector’s item”. Four years later, in Canada, he was once again one of the 12,000 torchbearers of the Vancouver Winter Games. The enthusiast wins this time his first torch of the Olympic Games. ” This one is definitely close to my heart “, he confides, smiling. The memories are also unforgettable:
” It’s great, it’s an extraordinary moment. You feel like you’re part of the Games. We are a link in the chain that brought the flame back, from the lighting in Greece to the opening ceremony and the end of the Games. »
All the irony of the 1936 Berlin Games torch
The torches that collectors covet are no longer functional. Once the relay is over, the organizer manages to deactivate the ignition system called the burner “, explains Kader Si-Tayeb. In the event of a power failure at home, there is no choice: “ Candles and lighter, like everyone else! laughs the one who has around twenty torches, from 1936 to 2022.
But the most important thing is not there for him. These torches are above all strong symbols, witnesses ” who say a lot about their time “. Those of the Games which took place in Asia in the 1960s (Tokyo 1964, Sapporo 1972) gave way to more futuristic designs at recent Games (Beijing 2008 and 2022). ” It’s interesting to see how each edition appropriates the design of the torch and reflects its culture and time. observes the connoisseur.
The torch of the Berlin Olympics carries a heavy history. This edition was organized in 1936 in Germany, under the Nazi era of Adolf Hitler. And yet…” 1936 is the first relay of the modern era. When Baron Pierre de Coubertin reinstated the modern Games (in 1896 in Athens, editor’s note), there was no relay. It was the Germans who symbolically decided to recreate this relay, to light the flame in Olympia in Greece and to bring it back to Berlin via different countries. “, explains Kader Si-Tayeb. ” It’s still quite ironic that a symbol of peace and brotherhood was revived by Nazi Germany “, he adds.
Read alsoBerlin 1936: the dark page in the history of Olympism
According to the experts met at the Charléty stadium, it is more complicated to find torches for the Winter Games, produced in smaller quantities compared to those for the Summer Games. Some pieces are extremely rare. ” There are crazy prices confirms Kader Si-Tayeb. If certain torches are accessible for 1,000 euros, “ some go to auction at 500,000 or 700,000 euros “.
Now eyes turn to Paris 2024. The path of the flame was unveiled this Friday, June 23, but the torch design is still a mystery. We just know that the Olympic Committee wants to produce fewer torches and favor reusable torches. Kader Si-Tayeb, relay candidate, will he add this piece to his collection? ” (laughs) Insha’Allah! It’s going to be complicated, but we don’t lose hope. »