“I am very proud to carry the flame”smiles Ethan, met at his home in Rioz in Haute-Saône, three days before the Olympic torch relay in Doubs on June 25, in which he participates. The young boy, aged 12, suffers from brittle bone disease. He will carry the flame under the colors of the association “Team Eth’toile de cristal” and the Riolese company where his mother Sabrina works, “Abéo – France equipements”.
“It’s the first time I’m going to be on TV!”
Ethan will cover 200 meters, at an average of four kilometers per hour, to arrive on September 8 in Besançon. “I’m very excited to carry the flame. It’s cool for me, I’m proud. It’s the first time I’m going to be on TV!” A journey under the eye of the cameras but also under the applause of those close to him, who come in numbers to support him. “There will be my classmates, some teachers too. My mom, my dad, my grandparents and some nurses from Minjoz that I know will be there too.”
Ethan’s loved ones will be visible from afar. Everyone will wear a t-shirt made for the occasion, a white t-shirt with a little boy dressed as a superhero on it. Her mom, Sabrina, even made a giant banner! “It’s not very discreetsmiled Ethan. There, that’s for sure, we can’t be missed!”
“I am very proud and happy for him”
Sitting next to him, his mother Sabrina shows a big smile. “I am proud and happy for him that he can experience this moment. It will be a very beautiful memory and a beautiful message of inclusion, of hope, for Ethan and for all other people with a disability.”
Walking in front of hundreds of people watching him? It doesn’t scare him, Ethan. At the time of our meeting, he had not yet really trained to carry the flame, which still weighs 1.5 kilos. “I think I’ll have to practice anyway. Why not by carrying a sack of potatoes home!”
