By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 41 minutes ago, Updated now
Basile Boli, first torchbearer in Marseille this Thursday morning. Benoit Tessier / REUTERS
The flame began its journey across France this Thursday morning with Basile Boli as first bearer.
The Olympic torch relay began Thursday in Marseille at the iconic Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde basilica, where Marseille football legend Basile Boli was the first to carry the torch that will arrive in Paris for the Olympics -2024 on July 26.
The former French international, the only scorer in Olympique de Marseille’s victory in the final of the 1993 European Champion Clubs’ Cup, started the relay just under the famous golden statue of the “Good mother” which watches over France’s second city, noted AFP journalists.
Dressed in white like all the bearers, he then passed the baton, under a big blue sky, giving the “kiss of the torch” to Colette Cataldo, 83 years old, historic supporter of OM, who sang “Light the fire” Johnny Hallyday.
“That’s it, it makes your heart beat and it’s fantastic. It’s the Olympic flame, it’s the symbol of sport, of living together, of everything we can hope for in the world.”commented Basile Boli afterwards.
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“Be careful, this will pass your baton very quickly, take advantage of it!”Tony Estanguet, president of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, had previously told them.
“The start is important in sport”he added. “We got off to a good start…now here we go! Every day we will deliver these moments of celebration, of emotions” with 10,000 torchbearers in 400 cities in France until the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics (July 26 – August 11).
Several dozen people had climbed the hill to witness this special moment and Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, was present in full regalia.
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“It’s a little muscular awakening, but like the Olympics in France, it’s once every 100 years, it was worth it”said smiling to AFP Julie Landon, 36, who came on foot from another district of Marseille. “The passage only lasts a few seconds, like the Tour de France, but it doesn’t matter, I wanted to participate”.
The flame must continue its path below, where hundreds of people are waiting for it, many also stationed at the windows of buildings, according to an AFP journalist
Marseille is the only city with Paris crossed for an entire day by the relay.
The first Olympic cauldron was set alight on Wednesday evening in the Old Port by Marseille rapper Jul, in front of 150,000 people, after a grandiose maritime parade on the Mediterranean.
More information to come…
