The Olympic flame has reached France a good two and a half months before the start of the Summer Games in Paris. After a twelve-day voyage from Greece across the Mediterranean on board the 19th century three-master “Belem”, the torch arrived in the port of Marseille on Wednesday evening as part of a solemn ceremony accompanied by a thousand ships.
Swimmer Florent Manaudou and Paralympic runner Nantenin Keita carried the flame as the first torchbearers on French soil. The fact that the Marseille rapper Jul then lit the Olympic flame caused a surprise. There had previously been speculation as to whether football legend Zinedine Zidane would take on this role.
Olympic torch arrived in Marseille
According to the television station BFM, 120,000 people watched the spectacle in the port. Around 8,500 security guards accompanied the event. It is seen as the first big test for the organizers with a view to the Summer Games from July 26th to August 11th in the French capital. The fire was lit on April 16th in ancient Olympia. It was then carried in a torch relay through Greece and then shipped.
12,000 kilometers through France
Starting in Marseille, the torch relay will travel 12,000 km through mainland and overseas territories of France. Stops include the memorial sites of the two world wars in Verdun and Normandy, the Palace of Versailles, the Lascaux cave and the castles in the Loire Valley. The French overseas territories will also be visited before the fire reaches the capital. Around 10,000 runners will be involved.
The Olympic flame is permanently protected in a “security bubble” by around a hundred police officers. One of the runners on Thursday in Marseille is the Austrian table tennis player Liu Jia, a six-time Olympian.
On July 26th, fire will be the focus of the opening ceremony in Paris. This is supposed to take place on the Seine. The teams will sail along the river in a fleet of ships in front of 500,000 spectators. However, there are safety concerns, which is why an opening in the stadium is being considered as an alternative.
