In Marseille, more than 230,000 people welcomed the Olympic flame which arrived aboard the Belem this Wednesday, May 8.
Relive in pictures the highlights of this celebration which lasted all day, marking a spectacular nautical parade.
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Paris 2024 Olympic Games
A warm welcome was expected, but who could imagine to what extent Marseille would burn? From the Pharo to the Old Port, more than 230,000 people – 150,000 were expected – gathered to greet Belem in just a few hours, said the mayor of Marseille, https://twitter.com/BenoitPayan/status/1788281274165043216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1788281274165043216%7Ctwgr%5E10deac00837a99ce76f0c6095d31f4f664d35e65%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemonde.fr%2Fajax%2Flive%2Farticle%2F6232155%2Fpost%2F1494137%2Fnode%2F27431422. “The Olympic flame is emblematic, it announces the arrival of the famous Summer Games”hums a little girl in the crowd, at the microphone of TF1.
Provençal jousts, comedians, breaking…
The mood rose gradually throughout the day. “It’s a very beautiful day, and we want to enjoy it with everyone”, says a passerby, singing and dancing to the rhythm of the music. On the program of the festivities, an ancestral tradition is held on the most beautiful playground in the world: a Provençal nautical jousting competition.
The public gathered from 5 p.m. around the central stage set up in the Old Port. While waiting for the arrival of Belem, he was able to enjoy the performances of Marseille artists, namely comedians and breaking dancers.
On the cornice, binoculars and cameras were out to hope to see the famous three-masted ship arriving in the distance. “It’s grandiose, and all the boats following it are magnificent”reacts a woman, with a smile on her lips, in the 20H report at the top of this article.
Emmanuel Macron, for his part, arrived in Marseille in the afternoon, taking the opportunity to visit a maritime pilotage simulator. As Belem approaches the crowded Phocaean city, fervor rises in the Pharo gardens. “We can’t wait for it to start, for the boat to arrive, for the French patrol to arrive,” comments a young man enjoying this breathtaking view of the sea.
The ceremony of the arrival of the Olympic flame
At 7:15 p.m., the Belem and its flame finally entered the port of Marseille. The first bearer on French soil, Florent Manaudou, positioned at the front of the three-masted ship, grabbed the torch in his famous trunk. The Marseille tenor Naestro, known for his cover of the title “Bella Ciao” sings “La Marseillaise” a cappella in the Old Port.
The Belem was escorted by the Patrouille de France. Above the port, it makes the Olympic rings, marking the start of the first Summer Games organized in France in a century. Florent Manaudou then steps onto the track with Marseille rapper Jul, who lights the Olympic cauldron.
The Marseille rap star received the Olympic torch from the hands of Paralympic athletics champion Nantenin Keïta, daughter of Malian musician Salif Keita.
