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 COJO (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 first ambassadors of the torch relay are Jamel Debbouze, Thomas Pesquet, Marine Lorphelin and Thierry Marx” also added the boss of the OCOG. Armel Le Cléac’h will ensure the transition of the flame on the overseas territories.
What will be the route of the Olympic flame for the Paris 2024 Olympics? The map
Greece will be, as tradition dictates, the starting point of the Olympic flame. She will then set off aboard the famous three-master dating from the 19th century, the Belém. The boat will reach Marseille after ten days. Marseille 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 through the rest of the country, crossing many metropolises but also tourist sites, showcases of French heritage.
- These cities include Toulon, Nice, Toulouse, Montpellier, Sète and Millau. The flame continues its way towards the Atlantic coast by the Dordogne and discovering seven municipalities including Périgueux. Libourne, Saint-Emilion and Bordeaux.
- Then place to the west with passages expected in La Baule, but also in Brittany with a stopover in Brest or in Mayenne in Laval.
- Among the relays to illustrate the diversity of French landscapes, a passage through Chamonix, a stopover at Mont Saint-Michel. The historical heritage will be highlighted from the battlefields of Verdun to the Millau viaduct passing by the castles of the Loire, the Pont du Gard, Lourdes or the house of the “father of Europe” Robert Schuman.
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.
- May 10: Marseilles – Toulon
- May 11: Toulon – Manosque
- May 12: Manosque – Arles
- May 13: Arles – Montpellier
- May 14: Montpellier – Bastia
- May 15: Bastia – Perpignan
- May 16: Perpignan – Carcassonne
- May 17: Carcassonne – Toulouse
- May 18: Toulouse – Auch
- May 19: Auch – Tarbes
- May 20: Tarbes – Pau
- May 22: Pau – Périgueux
- May 23: Périgueux – Bordeaux
- May 24: Bordeaux – Angoulême
- May 25: Angoulême – Greater Poitiers-Futuroscope
- May 27: Greater Poitiers-Futuroscope – Châteauroux
- May 28: Châteauroux – Angers
- May 29: Angers – Laval
- May 30: Laval–Caen
- May 31: Caen – Mont-Saint-Michel
- 1er June: Mont-Saint-Michel – Rennes
- June 2: Rennes – Niort
- June 4: Niort – Les Sables-d’Olonne
- June 5: Les Sables-d’Olonne – La Baule
- June 7: La Baule – Vannes
- June 8: Vannes – Brest
- Ocean relay between June 8 and June 17
- June 19: Nice – Avignon
- June 20: Avignon – Valence
- June 21: Valence – Vichy
- June 22: Vichy – Saint-Etienne
- June 23: Saint-Etienne – Chamonix
- June 24: Chamonix – Besançon
- June 25: Besançon – Strasbourg
- June 26: Strasbourg – Metz
- June 27: Metz – Saint-Dizier
- June 28: Saint-Dizier – Verdun
- June 29: Verdun – Reims
- June 30: Reims – Lille
- July 2: Lille – Lens
- July 3: Lens – Amiens
- July 4: Amiens – Le Havre
- July 5: Le Havre – Vernon
- July 6: Vernon – Chartres
- July 7: Chartres – Blois
- July 9: Blois – Orleans
- July 10: Orleans – Auxerre
- July 11: Auxerre – Dijon
- July 12: Dijon – Troyes
- July 13: Troyes – Paris
- Ile-de-France relay
- Lighting of the Olympic cauldron on July 26, 2023.
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.
Who can carry the Olympic and Paralympic flame?
Approximately 10,000 people will be able to carry the Olympic flame. Among these “elected”, 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 throughout France” d ‘after the official website of “Paris 2024“. However, some conditions are required to hope to become a torchbearer. You must first be 15 years of age or older. Then you must be a member of the Paris 2024 club or register to be one. Finally, you must nominate a close 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 a total of ten minutes. Each torchbearer chosen will travel approximately 200 meters and will enjoy this unique moment for nearly 4 minutes.
Who are the ambassadors and “captains” of the Olympic flame?
Two captains have been designated 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 ambassadors will be Marine Lorphelin, Thomas Pesquet, Djamel Debouze and chef Thierry Marx.
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.