Olympic Flame Arrives in Marseille as Paris 2024 Torch Relay Gets Underway

The Olympic flame which departed the Greek city of Piraeus on April 27, arrived in Marseille aboard the famous three-masted Belem on Wednesday (8 May).

The Olympic flame landed on French soil after crossing the Mediterranean on the Belem, a vessel listed as a historic monument that is France's oldest three-masted schooner, beginning a 69-day relay across the country and its territories that will culminate in Paris with the start of the Olympic Games on July 26.

Picture Courtesy - @WorldAquatics

Olympic champion Florent Manaudou was given the honour of being the first Torchbearer on French soil with local rapper Jul (Julien Mari) lighting the Olympic Torch Relay cauldron to huge applause of more than 1,50,000 people including the French President Emmanuel Macron

"Now the Games are really on," Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, IOC member and President of the Coordination Commission for Paris 2024 told Olympics.com. "This flame represents the Games returning to France after 100 years. Now every day counts.

“After years of planning, everything has become real today. With 150,000 people here, it makes people dream and is a symbol of the success of these Games, even before they have begun."

Crafted by the joint efforts of Paris 2024, the territories involved and its official partners (Coca-Cola, Banques Populaires and Caisses d’Épargne), the Olympic Torch Relay route will be an epic journey across France. From 8 May 2024, the Olympic Torch Relay will showcase France’s beauty and diversity, its history and exceptional landscapes, and its knowledge, traditions, and talents.

The epic Olympic Torch Relay will offer a unique insight into France’s history. It will build links between different eras and showcase exceptional sites that contributed to France’s reputation and influence during each major period of its history.

The flame will travel to the Lascaux caves, the Alésia archaeological site, the medieval city of Carcassonne, the Palace of Versailles, and many other sites. It will light up many of France's architectural masterpieces, beginning with the world-renowned site of Mont Saint-Michel. Other highlights will include the châteaux of the Loire Valley, along with a plethora of iconic palaces, lighthouses, bridges, viaducts, and arenas.