The Olympic flame will arrive in France on Wednesday – Firstpost

Marseille: The Olympic flame is expected to arrive in the French port of Marseille on Wednesday before a crowd of up to 150,000 people, in what will be a first major test of the hugely ambitious plans for the Paris Games. The transfer of the flame to shore from a 19th century tall ship will mark the start of a 12,000 kilometer (7,500 mile) torch relay across mainland France and the furthest overseas territories of the country.

Organizers are hoping the first public spectacle of their high-profile “iconic” Olympics – in just 79 days – will help build enthusiasm after a damaging row over ticket prices and lingering concerns over security.

“This is something we have been waiting for for a very long time,” Tony Estanguet, chief organizer, told reporters on Monday. “It’s here. One hundred years after the last Games, the Games are coming home.

When the Paris opening ceremony begins on July 26, it will be the first time the city has hosted in a century following previous editions in 1924 and 1900.

France considers itself at the heart of the modern Olympic movement after a French aristocrat, Pierre de Coubertin, revived the idea of ​​the Games as practiced by the Greeks until the 4th century BC.

After the Covid-hit Tokyo 2021 edition and the corruption-tainted Rio de Janeiro edition in 2016, the Paris Olympics are seen as an important moment for the sporting extravaganza as a whole.

Public excitement will come when the flame is handed over Wednesday evening from the Belem, a historic French merchant ship that made a 12-day voyage from Greece.

“We are going to do something beautiful, grandiose, sober and accessible at the same time,” promised the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, to AFP before the arrival of the flame, while recalling how his grainy port city was founded by Greek traders in 600 BC.

“Beautiful, grandiose”

More than 1,000 other boats will accompany its approach to port and organizers expect around 150,000 people to witness the transfer into Marseille’s renovated marina, which will host sailing events during the Olympics.

Fireworks and a free concert will complete the show which will be broadcast live on French television.

As a backdrop, around 6,000 members of the security forces are expected to be on duty in a major test of the extensive security plans put in place at a time when the country is on highest terror alert.

“It is completely unprecedented for the national police to mobilize so many people on the same day and in the same place,” regional police coordinator Cédric Esson told the press on Monday.

The honor of being the first bearer of the flame will go to quadruple Olympic medalist swimmer Florent Manadou.

Other stars who will take part in the parade, which continues on Thursday, include NBA-winning basketball player Tony Parker and footballer Didier Drogba, as well as charity and entertainment figures.

A beach cleaning charity boycotted it in protest at Olympics sponsor Coca-Cola, while no role is planned for the son of Marseille’s most famous sportsman, football legend Zinedine Zidane .

Opening ceremony

Extremely tight security will be a constant as the flame passes through more than 450 French cities and past dozens of tourist attractions, including Mont Saint Michel.

Around 200 security forces are expected to be permanently positioned around it, including an anti-terrorism SWAT team and anti-drone agents. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke of the risk of demonstrations, particularly from far-left groups or environmental activists like Extinction Rebellion.

Organizers have promised a “spectacular” and “iconic” Olympics, with much of the sport taking place at temporary venues around the City of Lights, including at the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides.

In the absence of a feared security scare, the opening ceremony will take place in boats on the Seine, representing a radical departure from previous Games which opened in the main stadium.

All major infrastructure has been completed with just two new permanent sports venues built in a bid to reduce the financial cost and carbon emissions of the global extravaganza.

The idea of ​​the flame rally is reminiscent of the ancient Olympic Games, when a sacred flame burned throughout the Games.

The Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.