More than 150,000 spectators gathered for the spectacular ceremony as French Olympic swimming champion Florent Manaudou carried the torch as French President Emmanuel Macron watched from the majestic three-masted ship Belém.
Adopted by Marseilles, Manaudou symbolically handed the torch to Paralympic champion and four-time medalist in the 100 metres, 200 meters and 400 metres, Nantenyi Keita, mirroring the event in Athens, where French Olympic and Paralympic champion Gabriela Papadakis and Beatrice Hess pass the torch in Paris. 2024 chose two Olympic and Paralympic athletes to carry the flame to Marseille. The transfer, the first on French soil, symbolizes Paris 2024's ambition to unify the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Xinhua reports.
After being cheered by the crowd, Keita passed the torch to singer Jules, another native of Marseille, who lit the cauldron on the center stage of the Ol' Port.“We can be proud,” Macron said. "The flame is on French soil. Sports are coming to France and entering the lives of the French people."
Belém approached the coast of Marseille in the late morning and completed a six-hour coastal parade before finally sailing into the old port. 1,024 local boats participate in the parade and workshops are held on the shore to celebrate the arrival.“The return of the Games to our country will be a wonderful celebration,” said Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet.
The unveiling of the official theme music of Paris 2024 was accompanied by a series of artistic performances and exhibitions starting at 5:00 pm in the Old Port.
With the French national anthem "La Marseillaise" echoing from the embankments, the country's elite air display team, the Patrole de France, is performing spectacularly by creating patterns of the Olympic rings and the French flag in the sky with colorful smoke, as a ship docks at to be done. Pontoon resembling an athletic track. Manaudou then carried the torch to mainland France."We are extremely proud," said Marseille mayor Benoit Payan. "This is where it all begins...Tonight, the people of Marseille won the first gold medal at these Olympic Games."
The Olympic flame for the Paris 2024 Games was lit in Greece on 16 April before being officially handed over to France at the Panathenaic Stadium on 26 April. I left Athens the next morning aboard the Belém and completed a 12-day journey before reaching Marseilles. ,
The torch relay will begin on Thursday, and more than 10,000 people will participate before the flame reaches Paris at iconic locations across the country, from Mont-Saint-Michel to the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy and the Palace of Versailles.The Olympic cauldron will be lit at the opening ceremony, which will be held on the River Seine on July 26.
Adopted by Marseilles, Manaudou symbolically handed the torch to Paralympic champion and four-time medalist in the 100 metres, 200 meters and 400 metres, Nantenyi Keita, mirroring the event in Athens, where French Olympic and Paralympic champion Gabriela Papadakis and Beatrice Hess pass the torch in Paris. 2024 chose two Olympic and Paralympic athletes to carry the flame to Marseille. The transfer, the first on French soil, symbolizes Paris 2024's ambition to unify the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Xinhua reports.
After being cheered by the crowd, Keita passed the torch to singer Jules, another native of Marseille, who lit the cauldron on the center stage of the Ol' Port.“We can be proud,” Macron said. "The flame is on French soil. Sports are coming to France and entering the lives of the French people."
Belém approached the coast of Marseille in the late morning and completed a six-hour coastal parade before finally sailing into the old port. 1,024 local boats participate in the parade and workshops are held on the shore to celebrate the arrival.“The return of the Games to our country will be a wonderful celebration,” said Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet.
The unveiling of the official theme music of Paris 2024 was accompanied by a series of artistic performances and exhibitions starting at 5:00 pm in the Old Port.
With the French national anthem "La Marseillaise" echoing from the embankments, the country's elite air display team, the Patrole de France, is performing spectacularly by creating patterns of the Olympic rings and the French flag in the sky with colorful smoke, as a ship docks at to be done. Pontoon resembling an athletic track. Manaudou then carried the torch to mainland France."We are extremely proud," said Marseille mayor Benoit Payan. "This is where it all begins...Tonight, the people of Marseille won the first gold medal at these Olympic Games."
The Olympic flame for the Paris 2024 Games was lit in Greece on 16 April before being officially handed over to France at the Panathenaic Stadium on 26 April. I left Athens the next morning aboard the Belém and completed a 12-day journey before reaching Marseilles. ,
The torch relay will begin on Thursday, and more than 10,000 people will participate before the flame reaches Paris at iconic locations across the country, from Mont-Saint-Michel to the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy and the Palace of Versailles.The Olympic cauldron will be lit at the opening ceremony, which will be held on the River Seine on July 26.
