The Olympic flame Paris 2024 Games was lit, this Tuesday around 11:15 a.m. French time, by the “high priestess”, played by the Greek actress Mary Mina, at the ancient site of Olympia in Greece, where the first Olympic Games in ancient times took place. The actress lit the flame in the presence of the president of Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, and the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, who insisted on the message of “hope” carried by the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace in Antiquity.
Due to cloudy skies, the lighting could not be done with the sun’s rays as is the ancient tradition, and was carried out with a reserve flame kept after the dress rehearsal on Monday.
The flame was then transported to the ancient stadium of Hestadia to be passed on to the first torchbearer, Greek Olympic rowing champion Stéfanos Doúskos. He himself passed it on to former swimmer Laure Manaudou, crowned Olympic champion in the 400m freestyle at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, and first French torchbearer.
The torch now rushes to a long journey. The flame will be officially handed over to the organizers of Paris 2024 at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, site of the first modern Games in 1896, on April 26, after 11 days of relay across Greece. She will then cross the Mediterranean Sea from April 27 aboard the three-masted Belem to reach France, Marseille, on May 8, where more than 150,000 people are expected in the Old Port. It will then pass through a large part of the departments of France, West Indies or even French Polynesia.
VALERIE GACHE
ARIS MESSINIS
