Olympic Flame Sails into Marseille

Olympic Flame Sails into Marseille

by Philip Barker

The Olympic Flame for Paris 2024 has been lit on the quayside in Marseille by local rapper “JuL” amid a fusillade of fireworks to set the seal on a day of celebration.

In an unusual break with tradition, French President Emanuel Macron joined a crowd estimated at 150,000 to witness its arrival, as the tall ship Belem came into harbour after a voyage of over ten days from the Athenian port of Piraeus.

Marseille was chosen by Paris 2024 as the first port of call because it was an ancient settlement established by the Greeks some 2,600 years ago.

The Belem which departed from Piraeus last month, had taken part in a nautical pageant, sailing across the harbour throughout the afternoon accompanied by a welcoming flotilla of around 1200 small boats.

“I am very proud of France and very proud of Marseille,” said JuL, real name Julien Mari.

He had run along a pontoon designed to resemble an athletics running track before igniting the specially designed cauldron.

JuL was joined in carrying the Torch by 2012 Olympic swimming gold medallist Florent Manaudou, one of four designated “captains” of the Relay, and by Nantinine Keita who won 400m gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

The cauldron was conceived as a companion piece to the Olympic Torch by designer Mathieu Lehanneur.

It stands 1.15 metres high and has a base of aluminium, hydroformed by water to make a “watermark” reminiscent of the design of the Torch itself.

It will be used throughout the Relay over the next 69 days.

Paris 2024 Organisers decided that only 2000 torches were to be manufactured so each Bearer will instead receive a souvenir ring which carries the inscription “PORTEUR DE LA FLAMME”, “ECLAIREUR DES JEUX” (BEARER OF THE FLAME”, “LIGHTER OF THE GAMES”).

This will be the third time that an Olympic Flame has visited Marseille.

Before the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, a diver took the Flame into the water at Le Vieux Port.

The Official Report for the Grenoble Games recorded that “the old port at Marseille was crossed by a diver who had to hold the Torch at arm’s length to avoid putting out the Flame in the water.”

The Flame returned to Marseille in January 1992 as part of the Relay to Albertville.