The first Olympic cauldron was set alight on Wednesday evening in the Old Port, by Marseille rapper Jul, in front of 150,000 people. Images broadcast on mondovision. But, from Thursday, the torch will now cross France, for 78 days in mainland France and overseas, to arrive on July 26 in Paris, where the Olympic cauldron will be lit. For this great torch relay, a tradition born during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Marseille will be the only city, with Paris, to be crossed over an entire day.
Basile Boli and Tony Parker
It was Basile Boli, legend of Olympique de Marseille, who symbolically opened this relay. The former Olympian defender, the only scorer in the Marseille club’s victory in the 1993 Champions League final, will carry the flame in front of the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica, which overlooks Marseille and is its most famous symbol. Then he will pass the torch to Colette Cataldo, 83 years old, a historic supporter of OM for more than 60 years.
Over eight segments traced through the city, the flame will then pass by several emblematic places, notably the Pharo palace, the Corniche which dominates the Mediterranean, the Olympic marina where the sailing events will be held this summer, the Old Port , the Mucem or the large MARSEILLE letters installed Hollywood style at the northern entrance to the city.
According to information from Le Figaro, the hope of seeing Zidane carry the flame (he was expected Wednesday evening in place of rapper Jul) is not in vain: “Zizou” could make an appearance while the relay crosses La Castellane, where the large fresco in honor of the world champion is located.
On the ledge, former basketball player Tony Parker and Blues fullback Nando De Colo, silver medalist in 2021 in Tokyo, will also be among the runners. Former swimmers Frédérick Bousquet and Fabien Gilot, skier Cyprien Sarrazin, author this winter of an incredible double on the legendary Kitzbühel descent, and several members of the French sailing team, such as the kite-foil world champion Lauriane Nolot or Ilca 7 specialist Jean-Baptiste Bernaz will also carry the Olympic torch.
Drogba before departure
The actress and comedian Nicole Ferroni, the television host Camille Combal and the three-star chef Alexandre Mazzia, associated with the preparation of athletes’ meals this summer and whose restaurant is in Marseille, will also be torchbearers. To conclude this first day of the relay, the last segment will take the flame to the Stade Vélodrome, where 10 matches of the women’s and men’s Olympic football tournaments will be held this summer.
Football will then be in the spotlight with the presence of Jean-Pierre Papin, Ballon d’Or 1991, Louisa Necib, Marseillaise and former N.10 of the French team, and Valentin Rongier, current captain of the OM. The rapper Soprano, a child from Plan d’Aou, in the northern districts of the city, will perform a spectacular relay on the roof of the Stadium. Then he will give the flame to Eric Di Meco, 1993 European champion with OM, who will himself hand it to Didier Drogba, another legend of the Marseille club, it is up to the latter to light the second cauldron of these Games, at the foot of the legendary Vélodrome.
On Friday, the flame will finally leave Marseille to continue its journey through the Var. Then its path will continue to Paris, via Mont-Saint-Michel, the D-Day beaches, the Château de Versailles and the Millau Viaduct. Throughout its journey through France’s second city, the flame will be carried by nearly 200 torchbearers, athletes, artists and anonymous people, but also a collective of 28 European athletes, May 9 also being Europe Day. The Ukrainian gymnast Maria Vysochanska, whose father fought on the front against the Russian invasion, will be the captain of this collective relay in which the former French pole vaulter Jean Galfione, Olympic champion in 1996 in Atlanta, or the Polish Anita Wlodarczyk, three-time reigning Olympic hammer throw champion.
