Interview. François, keeper of the Olympic flame on Belem: “We experienced unforgettable moments”

He was, as one might say, the guardian of his night’s sleep. And helped her not to die. For 12 days, from Friday April 26, 2024 to Wednesday April 8, 2024on board the Belem, François Blaizot-Bonnemains watched over the Olympic lantern, the symbolic original fire, lit in Greece, so that it never goes out.

The Cherbourgeois embarked with the 16 members of the crew, around fifteen young people selected by the Caisse d’Épargne, a team of ten of reporters photos and four gendarmes.

But also two other guards, Erwan The Popemilitary and sports physical training instructor (EPMS), based in Brest, and Kevin Gendarme, in civil security among the Marseille firefighters.

François Blaizot-Bonnemains recounts this unique experience.

How was your arrival in Marseille on Wednesday?

Firstly, we did the whole parade with the different nautical sections of Marseille. We came to meet the 1024 boats which were selected to accompany the Belem. We passed sailing schools, etc. Then, Florent Manaudou came on the boat and we started training for our entry into the port of Marseille. We lit the first torch for him live. You should know that a torch lasts 8 minutes, we had several gas cylinders to be able to make changes every 6 and a half minutes. The carriers have the flame for 200 meters, or 4 minutes. The timing is very tight. Then, we were welcomed by 150,000 people!

What did you do once you arrived in Marseille?

Once the torchbearers had descended, I was tasked with collecting the sacred fire to put it back in our lantern. That’s why people saw me go on stage. Another babysitter was responsible for accompanying Tony Estanguet to the TV sets. You should know that wherever the lantern and a torch go, there is necessarily a guard at a maximum of 5 to 10 meters from the bearer.

What were your missions on Belem?

Bring the lantern to life and maintain it. In the morning, we got up at 6:45 a.m. to go and recharge our main and our emergency lantern with paraffin, that is to say a special oil for the reserve with 50 ml, three times a day. A recharge lasts approximately 8 hours. Once arrived, our role is also to reassure the porters, tell them how to position themselves for the cameras, which hand to take their torch, help them if they are injured or feel unwell.

On board, you were keen to keep this flame alive with the crew…

Yes ! We brought it into all the rooms of the boat, in the kitchen, in the carpentry workshop, in the engine room, etc. We put it on the table, with coffee and jam next to it in the morning so that everyone could enjoy it. This is also the Olympic spirit. The 60 crew members were able to take their individual photo with the flame on the Belem, always with a guard next to them.

Was the main topic of discussion in Belem the Olympic Games?

We didn’t necessarily think about it in the first days in Marseille. We lived the adventure day by day, with all the passages we made… Like the Corinth Canal (in Greece, Editor’s note). It was closed for a short while for work. It was reopened on purpose for the Belem crossing. Even the commander had never been here in his 20 years of career. It’s very rare. The boat is 8.80 meters wide and the passage is 24 meters. There was really no room for error. We also crossed the Strait of Messina (in Italy, Editor’s note) and we were able to see the Stromboli volcano (in Italy, Editor’s note). We had unforgettable moments!

Have you had any moments of fear?

Hmm, no. A big part, we had good seas and for a while, we had a few storms with troughs of 2 to 3 meters high between the waves. A few young people were sick but I’ve been on the boat for more than 10 years so I was fine. As for turning off the lanterns, we don’t hide it, we had two on board, a main one and a secondary one, as a backup, if anything happened. At one point, to maintain the lanterns we had to turn off one of them, to clean the particle filters, clean the window, etc.

As someone who has been following the Olympic Games since you were little, you must feel a lot of pride?

It’s a unique opportunity because in my life as an athlete, I would never have had the level to join the French team and hope to approach the flame. There, without a guard, there is no Olympic flame. We feel that we were actors and that, thanks to us, at least for our part of Greece in Marseille, the symbolic flame was able to arrive in good conditions.

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