Rapper Jul lit the cauldron on Wednesday in the Old Port of Marseille after the arrival of the Olympic flame on French soil, 79 days before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The organizers kept secret until the end the identity of the person who had the task of lighting the cauldron.
The Olympic flame finally on French soil
Born in Marseille, the artist received the flame from the hands of Nantenin Keïta, herself preceded by Florent Manaudou.
The swimmer, Olympic 50m freestyle champion in 2012, descended with the Belem flame, moored at the end of a floating athletics track.
Departing on April 27 from the port of Piraeus (Greece), the three-masted ship crossed the Mediterranean Sea for eleven days with the flame on board, which was lit on April 16 at the ancient site of Olympia.
The Belem arrived around 11:00 a.m. in Marseille harbor before parading for six hours under the sun along the coast, accompanied by 1,024 local boats.
More than 150,000 people as well as President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the flame at the Old Port, where 6,000 police and gendarmes had been deployed to ensure security.
They were able to admire a show by the French patrol and the unveiling of the official theme of the Paris 2024 Games, written and composed by Victor le Masne, and exceptionally performed on Wednesday by the Marseille National Orchestra.
Marseille rappers Soprano and Alonzo were to perform in the evening during a free concert, on a floating stage, in front of 45,000 people.
“We designed this event as a ceremony in its own right, the fifth ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the first in calendar terms”Thierry Reboul, executive director of Paris 2024 in charge of ceremonies and creations, explained to the press.
“In Marseille, the playground is quite exceptional for creating images and memories,” he added.
Henri Gerente, a retiree and boat owner, told Reuters of his “tremendous happiness”. “I think it’s an exceptional promotion for the city”he said. “It can only be a good thing for the economy and for everything else, for the image of the city. So I’m proud of it. »
The first stage of the torch relay, Thursday, will honor many celebrities: former basketball player Tony Parker, ex-swimmers Frédérick Bousquet and Fabien Gilot, former Olympique de Marseille footballers Jean-Pierre Papin , Basile Boli and Didier Drogba, or even the three Michelin star chef Alexandre Mazzia.
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In total, more than 10,000 porters will take turns for 69 days. During the Olympic Games, from July 26 to August 11, the basin which will host the flame will be installed in the Tuileries gardens.
