Just a few hours before the arrival of the Belem in the waters of Marseille with the Olympic flame on board, the Old Port was in turmoil this Tuesday, May 7. Between reinforced security measures and final preparations, the pride of the people of Marseille to participate in the kick-off of the 2024 Olympic Games is at its peak.
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On the banks of the Old Port, very special red pennants flourish on the masts of certain boats moored along the quays. There will be more than a thousand boats able to welcome the Belem and escort the Olympic flame into the harbor of Marseille on the day of its arrival, May 8. The owners are busy around their boats to ensure that everything will be ready for departure the next morning and do not hide their enthusiasm before this great occasion.
“ We have the honor to participate, I think we will be 1 500 boats in total », confides to us a long-time member of the Marseille Nautical Society. “ As an old Marseillaise, I think we are all very proud. Marseille was a large maritime city and being able to represent sailing to launch the 2024 Olympic Gamesit’s truly an honor for the city. »
“ A light brought to this city »
Not far from it, Frédéric is also in the process of sorting out the final details before the big parade alongside Belem. A member of this association since 2008, he appreciates the chance of taking part in an event that he considers historic. “ We are going to experience an exceptional event in Marseille, a somewhat cursed and unloved city. The Olympic flame is a light brought to this city which deserves it “, he rejoices. But he considers the very reinforced security of the quays and the numerous CRS which surround the Old Port to be excessive.
“II have never seen so many dog handlers in my career as today in the Old Port », Declares a team leader of a dog brigade, among the dozens of them gathered this May 7 in the port of the Marseille city.
One of his colleagues, who came from Nord-Pas-de-Calais as reinforcement, also underlines the excessiveness of the controls put in place to secure the place before the ceremony. the arrival of the flame : “ We are here to help check approximately 1,400 boats. In total, there are around 80 dog handlers searching for explosives and around forty deminers throughout the sector », he specifies in the middle of patrol. “MBut it’s true that a mission of this magnitude is the first time we’ve experienced this. »
OM supporters on the front line
At the Sofitel du Vieux-Port, the teams are also ready for the start of the festivities. “ We have been preparing for several months, it is clearly a major event for the region”, underlines the hotel manager. “ I clearly compare this event to that of “Marseille European capital of culture” in 2013, which was extraordinary for the territory. It launches the Olympic Games in the best way it should in Marseille “. For him, the impatience and excitement of the residents are undeniable: “OWe really feel that the people of Marseille are very excited to welcome the Olympic flame and to be able to participate in this beautiful celebration “.
At the heart of the preparations to make the arrival of the flame a memorable event, the South Winners, an emblematic group of supporters of Olympique de Marseille, are in full rehearsal for a gigantic tifo that they have been preparing for two weeks. “VWe will see tomorrow what the Marseille supporters are capable of. You will see that Marseille is a city apart. What we prepared there, we have never even done at the Vélodrome. It’s going to be a beautiful show », Announces Nasser, a member of the group for 20 years. “On is here to represent our city. It is a pride for us to welcome the Olympic flame to Marseille. »
Philippe Lacoste, a Marseille artist specializing in frescoes, participated in the development of the design of this tifo for the arrival of the flame. He has worked with the South Winners for more than ten years and does not hide the challenge that the project represents. “ We’ve been working on the drawing for over a week, between 15 and 16 hours a day. We are impatient and also anxious, it is not something that we have the opportunity to achieve very often. It’s only once in a lifetime. These are events that you really shouldn’t miss. » In any case, the people of Marseille are meeting everywhere for the launch of the Olympic Games in the Old Port this May 8.
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