Boots, raincoats and umbrellas, the most foresighted were prepared this Thursday, May 23, to take over the Place des Quinconces, in Bordeaux. As soon as the Olympic flame celebration area opened, hundreds of people took their places on the site, determined “to be part of the celebration, because…
Boots, raincoats and umbrellas, the most foresighted were prepared this Thursday, May 23, to take over the Place des Quinconces, in Bordeaux. As soon as the Olympic flame celebration area opened, hundreds of people took their places on the site, determined “to be part of the celebration, because it’s not tomorrow that the flame will return to Bordeaux”. At the end of this 14e stage of the relay, several thousand will have gathered in the same fervor to witness the burning of the cauldron, the highlight of this festive day which began in Saint-Émilion.
“An extra memory”
While the relays follow one another between Libourne and the Bordeaux metropolis, on the largest square in Europe, everyone benefits from the activities offered by advertising and institutional partners. “It’s great because everything is free,” appreciates Jules, who has just learned about sports shooting on the Libourne club’s stand, and Elena is “amused” finishing her first virtual surfing session. Even a photo with the Olympic torch in hand costs nothing, marvels this mother who therefore takes her place, with her two children, in one of the many queues, in the rain. “It will be an extra memory for them later. »
Photography with the mascot, a great classic of popular and sporting events.
A. M.-R.
And even if you have to pay a few euros for an official souvenir at the Paris 2024 store, Gilbert, its manager, assures us: “People don’t hesitate to treat themselves”, too happy to say that they were there, “even if they could not get a place for the Games”.
A. M.-R.
A souvenir photo with the Olympic torch in hand, undeniably THE souvenir of this relay day.
The sporting spectacle is nevertheless there, in the center of the slab, where demonstrations of Olympic disciplines such as fencing and basketball take place, but also a ballet by Bordeaux star Mathilde Froustey. Until 7 p.m., the space is freed for the installation of the cauldron and its lighting by chef Thierry Marx. The crowd then gathered along the barriers and many spectators regretted that the installation had not been raised. “Because there, with the world and all the phones filming, we can’t see anything at all,” laments this father who tries to hoist his children, each on one of his shoulders.
