After 12 days of sailing on the three-masted Belem from Greece, the Olympic flame docks Wednesday in Marseille, where another 150,000 people are expected to greet it, surrounded by exceptional security, less than three months before the Paris Games.
It is the first time that the flame arrives in France for a Summer Games because if Paris already hosted the Olympic Games, in 1900 and 1924, the Olympic flame was not inaugurated until 1928, with the Amsterdam Games.
The last one dates back to 1992, with the Winter Olympics in Albertville (Savoy).
Lit on April 16 in Olympia, about 100 days before the opening rite of the Paris Olympic Games (July 26 to August 11), the Olympic torch will begin its French adventure in the Old Port of Marseille, the ancient “Massalia” founded 2,600 years ago by Greek sailors, in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron.
“The common thread of this arrival of the flame is the story of those Greeks who thousands of years ago crossed the Mediterranean to reach Marseille and discover the city,” Mayor Benoît Payan told AFP.
In Belem, an edition that dates back to 1896, the year of the first Games of the modern era, the first torchbearer will be the French swimmer Florent Manaudou. A four-time Olympic medallist and winner of the 50m freestyle in London in 2012, the boy who is still a member of the Círculo de Nageurs de Marseille will be aiming for a medal in Paris.
– Enhanced security –
On April 16, at the former site of Olympia, it was his sister Laure, also a swimmer, Olympic champion and triple medalist in 2004, who lit the first French torch after the flame.
After returning to the dry Angels on a floating athletics track, Florent Manaudou will head to the Quai de los Angeles Fraternité, at the finish line of the mythical Canebière, where at around 7. 45 p. m. the Olympic cauldron will be lit, either by himself or through a wonder guest like Zinedine Zidane, born in Marseille?The suspense remains.
Previously, Belém was at the centre of a day of celebration, with a gigantic maritime parade, accompanied by a thousand boats in the port. Around 7:00 p. m. , you will enjoy your access to the Old Port through a fireworks display, the Marseille. Philharmonic Orchestra and the unmissable “tifos”, the impressive banners of the fans of OM, the emblematic football club of the city.
Then, the evening will continue with a concert, presented by Marseille rappers Soprano and Alonzo. “We are going to make something beautiful, grand, sober and popular at the same time,” promised Benoît Payan, assuring that everything will be “free. “from morning till night, till the concert, and for everybody. “
A security formula described as it will unfold, in a tense external climate, marked by the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
– Fire at the Velodrome –
In Marseille, more than 6,000 members of the security forces will be mobilized, including elite Raid police, deminers, members of the nautical brigades, Rafale aircraft and an anti-drone device.
Including the agents dependent on the city council (firefighters, security personnel, municipal police, etc. ), they will be added to another 8,500 people and will exceed those deployed in September 2023 for Pope Francis’ stopover.
Spectators will be pat-downed and the more than 3,000 boats moored in the Old Port will be meticulously cleared of mines starting Monday.
On Sunday, while some fifty garbage creditors – out of the 2,000 in the city of Aix-Marseille – were on strike in three districts that do not host the flame festivals, the Old Port was at capacity, between the staff assembling the structures to accommodate the flames, the cleanings, the installation of the security system, but also the crowd of passers-by enjoying the sun at the water’s edge.
“The arrival of Belem marks a new time, the arrival of the flame will gladden hearts,” President Macron said in an interview with La Tribune and La Provence media, as discussions began on the 3 billion to 5 billion euros of public funds that the Olympics are expected to cost.
“It’s public money spent,” he added, referring to “long-term investments, at the service of the French people. “
On Thursday, the flame will begin its adventure to Paris, the entire country, including the West Indies and French Polynesia.
This long “relos angeles and torch”, which will pass by the castles of the Loire, the beaches of D-Day and Mont-Saint-Michel, will start in the morning at Notre-Dame des angeles Garde, the “Good Mother” overlooking Marseille.
On Thursday afternoon, the Olympic fireplace will be lit in a cauldron installed in front of the Stade Vélodrome, emblem of the Mediterranean city. It will then continue to Paris, where the Olympic cauldron will be lit on July 26, the day of the Opening Ceremony. On 28 August, the Paralympic flame, lit in Great Britain, will arrive in Paris for the Paralympic Games (28 August to 8 September).