The flame took advantage of beautiful scenery this Tuesday, May 14, as the Olympic relay continued in Corsica. From Ajaccio to Bastia, passing through the Aiguilles of Bavella, L’Île-Rousse, Zonza, Corte, Campana, Piedicroce, Porto-Vecchio and Furiani, she went around the island.
The relay started at 7 a.m. in Ajaccio. After reaching the city center, the flame went up Cours Napoléon, carried by the artist Patrick Fiori. The singer greeted the crowd, at a slow trot, before giving his place to the next torchbearer.
The flame was also carried by 31-year-old karateka Alexandra Feracci, who spoke about the absence of her sport at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, speaking to France 3: “It’s a feeling of pride and an immense honor . Even if karate is no longer Olympic, it is my way of participating in these Games and still representing my sport. »
“It’s a feeling of pride and an immense honor” to carry the flame, says Alexandra Feracci, who will soon carry the flame this Tuesday. “Even if karate is no longer Olympic, it’s my way of participating in these games and still representing my sport.” pic.twitter.com/YLQRAX15k7
— France 3 Corse (@FTViaStella) May 14, 2024
The flame, accustomed to taking ever more surprising means of transport, even took a ride on horseback. In Zonza, the town where she comes from, freediver Anne-Sophie Passalboni carried the torch from her mount, in a green setting and under a clear sky.
The Olympic flame then made a stopover in Corte, where it was carried by MMA fighter Hugo Boigeol Baggioni. The town had already seen the flame pass through its home during the 1992 Winter Olympic Games, in Albertville.
The day was also marked by the passing of the baton to Furiani. At the Armand-Cesari stadium, a stop was made in front of the stele erected in memory of the victims of the disaster of May 5, 1992. That day, during a semi-final of the Coupe de France between Bastia and Marseille, the The temporary stand collapsed and 18 people died.
A tribute was also paid to Philippe Vignilo, alias “Philousports”, who died in 2021 and internet star. His goddaughter, Chiara Barone, 22, carried the flame to Bastia. The relay ended at 7:30 p.m., when 32-year-old judoka Priscilla Gneto lit the cauldron on Saint-Nicolas Square.
This Wednesday, May 15, the Olympic flame will parade in the Pyrénées-Orientales. It will leave the Canigou peak at 7 a.m. before reaching Perpignan at the end of the day.
