Surprise. Rap star Jul had the honor of igniting the Olympic cauldron, in the Old Port of Marseille, on Wednesday May 8, after inheriting the flame from the hands of Nantenin Keïta, Paralympic athlete, who herself succeeded to Florent Manadou. Before that, theThe flame entered shortly after 7 p.m. aboard the three-masted Belem in the Old Port, key step in the countdown to the opening of the Paris-2024 Games on July 26. Follow our live stream.
An arrival worthy of the Rum Route. It is a famous three-masted boat, as thin as a bird, which raises the Olympic colors high in Marseille, performing several rotations in front of the coves in a postcard setting (between 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.). At the end of the day, a flotilla of boats must accompany the Belem towards the Old Port, where it will anchor around 7 p.m., according to the forecast program.
A taste of the torch relay. The flame will then be placed on the cows’ floor, where Florent Manaudou and the other torchbearers will take it to the cauldron. It will then be time for celebrations, with a major free concert by Marseille artists Soprano and Alonzo. For the occasion, the Phoenician city dressed to the nines, with a major cleaning operation underway several days ago.
A long journey ahead. Each of the 10,000 carriers will cover 200 m at an average speed of 4.5 km/h, not precisely the speed of a galloping Usain Bolt, according to the organizers’ clever calculations. Sixty-four departments will be crossed by the relay, at the rate of three or four towns per day.
