At the start of its journey, the Olympic flame remains in the south of France. After two days in Marseille and a day in the Var, she traveled the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence this Saturday. His day began at 9 a.m. in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and ended as usual at 7:30 p.m. with the lighting of the cauldron, in Manosque, which this time did not take place.
“Technical problems” on the cauldron
Ophélie Cyrielle-Etienne, the last relay runner of the day, had the mission of lighting the cauldron, as is the case at the end of each relay. But despite several attempts, the cauldron did not catch fire and the guardians of the flame saved the flame with their lantern. According to I say BFM“technical problems” would have prevented the conflagration.
The day began at 9 a.m. in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, not far from the Gorges du Verdon.
After visiting the towns of Sisteron, the torch was carried to the summit of Rocher de la Baume in a very spectacular collective relay highlighting climbing. Thierry Delarue, member of the French para-climbing team, carried the torch.
Subsequently, the flame arrived in the town of Digne-les-Bains, first carried by the Marseille drag queen Miss Martini, purple wig on her head. This is the first time that a drag queen carried the Olympic flame.
Still in Digne-les-Bains, it was a former football star who carried the flame. Alain Boghossian, world champion in 1998, took part in the exercise. “The World Cup was seven kilos of gold. There, it’s a little less heavy, but it’s a joy,” reacted the native of Digne-les-Bains, former player of Marseille, Naples and Parma.
The Olympic flame then discovered the town of Forcalquier. That’s where Sandrine Noguès took it. Her mother, Colette Besson, was crowned Olympic champion in the 400 meters during the Mexico Games in 1968. “I wanted to carry this flame in memory of my mother. She would have dreamed of carrying this flame, she who did so much to bring the Games back to Paris, in France. Being here today, lifting this Olympic torch, it’s a wonderful moment and I hope she was able to see me from up there,” she confides about her mother, who died in 2005.
Last stop of this day: Manosque. It was in this town that former swimmer Esther Baron carried the flame before it was entrusted to Ophélie Cyrielle-Etienne, who therefore came across a capricious cauldron for this third day of the torch relay.
On Sunday, the Olympic flame will return to Bouches-du-Rhône, the department through which it arrived on May 8, with a departure from Calanques and an arrival in Arles.
