This Friday, July 19, the Olympic torch relay passed through Val-d’Oise (Paris region), a few days before the kickoff of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Christophe Diremszian, from RFI’s Sports department, had the honor of being the first torchbearer. He recounts this extraordinary day.
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The night was short. Firstly because the alarm was set for 4:30. And also because there was a bit of stress for Christophe Diremszian. On July 19, he had an appointment at dawn in Pontoise (Val-d’Oise), northwest of Paris, to participate in the torch relay of JO 2024. ” I slept badly. I woke up with a start at 2:30 and I was thinking “, he confesses a few hours later. ” I was afraid of making a mistake ” he adds with a smile.
But the RFI journalist was indeed present at the scheduled time, along with the 17 other people for this first sequence of the day’s relay. They all received the torchbearers’ tunic. He was assigned number 001, that of the first torchbearer of the day. And right from the start, his program was changed. Each torchbearer is supposed to run about 200 meters and four minutes. But I had the surprise and the chance to do much more. I was informed at the last moment that I was going to start this relay on a boat. It is an enormous privilege. “, explains Christophe Diremzsian.
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“To come together, to unite… The flame can unite”
So after a little extra stress that had to be camouflaged (” I really don’t want to mess up! (laughs) “), the first relay runner began to descend along the Oise” with a very impressive crowd “, when it was only 8:30 a.m.” It was an absolutely extraordinary, impressive, but above all very moving moment. We felt that, on both sides of this river, people were happy to see us with this very important symbol of the Olympic Games. ” he confides.
There was fervor with the public, as well as among the members of the relay. There are things that “work”. Things that allow us to come together, things that bring people together. The flame, as a popular festival, manages to unite. What is interesting is that the flame bearers came from all walks of life. I handed over the baton to a Chinese student from Essec, but there was also among us a visually impaired person with a guide dog and an escort, a general manager of a CAC40 group, elected officials from the department… “, continues the runner of the day.
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Inspired by principles of equality, the element of water and values of peace and appeasement according to its designer Mathieu Lehanneur, the Olympic torch still requires some physical qualities. It weighs 1.5 kilos, I won’t hide from you that I had to change hands several times, because you end up shaking! ” laughs Christophe Diremzsian. ” You have to hold it high enough, put it back down, you have to move… When the torch is held up to the public, the shoulder starts to hurt a little bit. “, explains the first of the 150 bearers of this July 19.
Excitement is building just days before the opening of the Paris Olympics
Christophe Diremzsian has been working on this 33rd edition of the Olympic Games for quite some time now. That is why the organizing committee asked him to take part in the torch relay. At first cautious, he finally took up the challenge willingly: ” It was an opportunity to have a good memory, on the other side of the fence. I was a tiny bit of an actor in the Olympic adventure from the inside. “And once the flame is entrusted to another and the pressure has dropped, he is convinced: ” It will remain an unforgettable memory. »
Speaking of memories, if he couldn’t keep the torch – a highly prized collector’s item –, the journalist was nevertheless offered a piece of it: the ring that joins the two parts of the torch. It is presented ” in a numbered box ” in which also appear some lines ” urging us, as scouts, to carry a message of peace, solidarity and universality that represent the Olympic Games “A gift that the relay runner promises to keep” very preciously “.
Just a few days left and the 2024 Olympic Games will kick off, with this opening ceremony on the Seine. It’s building, it’s buzzing. The entire RFI editorial team is working hard to ensure that these Games take place in the best possible conditions, with coverage that is unmatched to date. “, assures the journalist. He insists: ” Along with others, I have been working on this moment for a very long time. I hope that we will finally reap the fruits of our labor and please our listeners and Internet users with the most grandiose coverage that this house can produce in terms of sporting events. »
To consultJO 2024 program and calendar