The Olympic flame arrives in France and more particularly in Marseille this Wednesday, May 8 before beginning its long journey to Paris.
11:32 – Numerous onlookers in the Old Port
In the Old Port of Marseille, there are already many curious people waiting to see the Belem. In total, nearly 150,000 spectators are expected all day to experience the moment of the arrival of the Olympic flame in France. Under a blazing sun, some arrived early in the morning to have a front row seat.
11:02 – Start for the parade
The commander having sounded the brown horn, the maritime parade of Belem, escorted by 1,024 boats, can begin in the harbor of Marseille, off the coast of Estaque.
After 12 days of navigation on the Mediterranean and its departure from Greece, the Olympic flame is impatiently awaited by many French people.
11:00 – The maritime parade from 11 a.m.
Arriving in North harbor at 9 a.m. this Wednesday, the Belem will then be part of a large maritime parade which will begin at 11 a.m. The 1,024 boats and the Belem will take the road towards the South, along the sea wall. At 11:15 a.m., a jousting workshop will take place in Corbières with a demonstration of light sails then traditional rowing from 11:30 a.m. at l’Estaque. Several other events from Marseille boats to Rowing will then be offered to spectators at the end of the morning.
At the beginning of the afternoon, from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the maritime parade will take place in the South harbor with an entry planned at Gaby islet. Here again, several activities and demonstrations will be offered in front of the Corniche and the Olympic Marina as well as at Pointe Rouge. Finally, the Belem will enter the Old Port of Marseille at 7 p.m. before the first Olympic torch relay at 7:45 p.m. on the Quai de la Fraternité.
10:46 – How to see the arrival of the flame
If the maritime parade surrounding the arrival of the Belem in the Bay of Marseille should amaze young and old, many will surely want to see the legendary Olympic flame. To have a chance to see it, you will be able to go to the Old Port under l’Ombrière, on the Quai de la Fraternité, where the Belem will be moored from 7 p.m. On site, the entire Old Port was pedestrianized for the day and giant screens installed to allow as many people as possible to see the show when Florent Manaudou will light the Olympic cauldron at 7:45 p.m.
But several other points of view will allow you to follow the ceremony from a little further away. This is the case on the esplanade of Saint-Victor Abbey which overlooks the Old Port and offers a panoramic view of the entrance to the port. At Notre-Dame de la Garde, located at an altitude of 150 meters, the famous Marseille building will allow you to admire the parade from start to finish, although a good pair of binoculars should be necessary to see the Olympic flame. Finally, Fort Saint-Jean, the Mucem or the Esplanade de la Tourette are other places that will allow you to follow this historic moment while getting away from the crowds of the Old Port.
10:32 – The best places to see the maritime parade
Although many people want to see the arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseille, you still need to have the best vantage point. So, to admire the maritime parade of hundreds of boats surrounding Belem, five viewpoints have been set up. The latter are located at the Mistral space in L’Estaque, at the Pharo garden, at the Porte de l’Orient on the Corniche Kennedy, on the Corniche islet (at the height of the Oriol valley), and at the Algerian Returnees Memorial also located on the Corniche.
09:59 – Hundreds of boats to escort Belem
While the Belem is currently off the coast of Marseille, hundreds of boats are to escort the sailboat during a maritime parade. In total, 1,024 hand-picked boats will take part in this spectacle which already promises to be grandiose.
Concerning boats which will not participate in the parade, they will be prohibited from anchoring and sailing in several areas. Concerning navigation, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the North harbor will be prohibited, as will the cove and around Catalans from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. As for anchoring, all vessels will have to comply with a ban from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the main North harbor, and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the cove and around the Catalans.
09:50 – Benoit Payan: “We are going to offer something giant”
“There is this tension, this countdown which is launched, and the arrival of the flame will be the apotheosis. The Games kick off in Marseille, on May 8. We is going to offer something giant and extraordinary. We are going to do something beautiful, grandiose, sober and popular at the same time. To go see the opening ceremony in Paris, it will cost up to 2,700 euros. For us, it will be free from the morning until the evening concert, for everyone. We started from the principle that the Games are for everyone, that the Games cannot be reserved for those who. have money and can afford very expensive tickets,” explained the mayor of Marseille in an interview with AFP.
09:30 – Florent Manaudou happy to carry the flame
“Carrying the flame after my sister, who already had this honor in Olympia in Greece, and doing it in a city to which I am very attached, Marseille, has an even stronger meaning for me,” said the swimmer , also a candidate to be one of the two tricolor standard bearers. “I can’t wait to be in the Old Port and celebrate, with the public, the return of the Games to France, 100 years later!”
09:22 – 150,000 spectators expected
After a trip to Greece completed on April 27, the Olympic flame set sail for France aboard the legendary Belem, a 58-meter-long three-masted ship. On board, in addition to the crew of the sailboat, are around fifteen young scouts from all over France and designated to watch over the precious flame during its crossing of the Mediterranean. All must be welcomed in the morning by nearly 150,000 spectators.
09:10 – The mistral, a danger for Belem
The mistral, this very strong wind that southerners know very well, could disrupt the arrival of the flame. If the forecasts do not go in this direction, “from 25 knots, the Belem will not enter the Old Port” explains the maritime prefecture because the boat could become uncontrollable.
08:50 – A concert will conclude the day
After the first steps of the flame in Marseille, a floating stage will be installed opposite the Old Port, along the Quai de la Fraternité at 9 p.m. for a major concert by Marseille artists Soprano and Alonzo which will conclude the evening and will last approximately three hours .
08:30 – Florent Manaudou first porter
If his sister Laure was the very first French torchbearer in Greece, Florent Manaudou will be the very first torchbearer on French soil. He will run a few dozen meters on a buoyant athletics track before lighting the Olympic cauldron around 7:45 p.m. in the presence of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron.
08:10 – Escape game, concerts… Many festivities
On the Old Port, accessible to pedestrians for the occasion, a giant escape game will be organized from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in partnership with associations. A handi-basketball demonstration is planned from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. before a demonstration of breakdancing, an Olympic sport for the first time this year. A “festive fanfare” and a DJ set are also on the program.
07:45 – The flame on Marseille soil at 7 p.m.
It is only from 5 p.m. that the Belem will be able to enter the Old Port of Marseille guided by Marseille navigators. Tifos from OM supporters and fireworks will also be there during the disembarkation at 7 p.m.
07:30 – Several giant screens to follow the parade
If you don’t want to miss anything of the Belem parade, several giant screens will be installed. This will be the case in the Old Port itself, but also in the Pharo garden, open for the occasion from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
READ MORE
Discover the latest news on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games has been at the heart of discussions since the project was presented. It will be held on Friday July 26, for the first time outside a stadium. Along a six-kilometer route on the Seine, the 10,500 Olympic athletes will parade on more than 150 boats. The ceremony is expected to last approximately 3.5 hours. The script for the ceremony, created by choreographer Thomas Jolly, wants to be kept secret until the last moment by the Organizing Committee (Cojo). In detail, the departure should be given around 8:30 p.m. at the Pont d’Austerlitz, with the departure of the Greek delegation, for the arrival of the French boat, the last of the procession, around midnight, at the Pont d’Iéna. But this opening ceremony promised by the Paris candidacy could not see the light of day, in the event of too great a security risk. In any case, this is what Emmanuel Macron said a few days ago, during an interview with BFM. The president notably spoke of a plan B at the Trocadéro, or even a plan C at the Stade de France.
For security and organizational reasons, the spectator gauge was also reviewed by the State. If 600,000 people, including 500,000 free places, had been announced at the start of the application, the gauge was greatly reduced. The Minister of the Interior recently announced that 326,000 people could attend the opening ceremony, including 100,000 paying tickets. The price for this Games event ranges from €90 to €2700. The public will be distributed in around twenty fixed zones, with it impossible to move along the platforms. 80 giant screens are planned throughout the route, complete with animations and artistic performances.
The organizing committee unveiled the first visuals of the opening ceremony at the end of 2021 with a spectacle that promises to be historic on the Seine. Here are the images:
The closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will take place at the Stade de France at the end of the competitions. For the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, around 65,000 people are expected to depart from the Champs-Elysées and Concorde where the athletes will parade on August 28, 2024.
The Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (COJo) indicated in February 2019 that these 2024 Paris Olympics, which were initially scheduled to begin on August 2, will ultimately take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024. It is obviously a little early to know the dates of the events, the daily calendar and the TV program for this sporting fortnight. These subjects will be studied once the list of sports and the selected sites are official.
Download our Paris 2024 Olympic Games calendar in PDF with all disciplines and dates.
