they were chosen to carry the Olympic flame, they testify
Since its arrival from Greece to Marseille on May 8, the torch, the unifying symbol of the Olympic Games, has mobilized an entire human chain as it travels across France. Portraits.
A teacher passing the torch to a police officer, a drag queen to a vice-prosecutor, an archaeologist to a YouTuber, or a charity manager to a La Poste account manager… Different life paths and commitments, but a common feeling that shines through among the flame bearers presented here: the impression of participating in a historic moment and the pride of hoisting high a symbol that connects us to each other in all our diversity.
There will be ten thousand, of very diverse profiles, to have carried the Olympic flame throughout France, between May 8 and July 26, the opening date of the Olympic Games in Paris. To these will be added a thousand others as a prelude to the Paralympic Games in August. It's not just celebrities – the singer Patrick Bruel, the comedian Jamel Debbouze, the former Miss France Marine Loiseau or the astronaut Thomas Pesquet – who are allowed to take turns every 200 meters. On the contrary, the majority of these scouts are unknown to the general public, even if their actions resonate in their respective territories. Some responded to calls for applications from sponsors of the Olympic Games, others were proposed by the various partners, Paris 2024 appointed some directly… In all, 100,000 people were in the running to brandish the torch imagined by designer Mathieu Lehanneur !
Each of the flame bearers embodies one of the three “energies” of Paris 2024. The first logically corresponds to the large family of sport and games, with famous names (the footballer Basile Boli, the fencer Laura Flessel) alongside volunteers who get involved in sports clubs and associations. The men and women who undertake, innovate or create in the territories constitute the second group of carriers. The third highlights citizens who act for a more sustainable, just and inclusive society.
The torch will have crossed 400 cities in mainland France and overseas territories. The largest, such as Marseille (Bouche-du-Rhône), Bordeaux (Gironde), Caen (Calvados) or Lille (North), as well as more modest municipalities, Sisteron (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), Condom (Gers ) or even Cossé-le-Vivien (Mayenne) will have been there. Without forgetting emblematic places of French heritage, such as Mont Saint-Michel, the Château de Versailles or the replica of the Lascaux cave.
