Paris Olympic Games Torch Relay
The torch for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will take a journey through France and some French territories, arriving in Paris on July 26 for the opening ceremony.
The 2024 Paris Torch
The design of the Paris 2024 Olympic torch is by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur. The torch's design is based on symmetry and curves, with water representing the city of Paris by the Seine, but also the torch's journey from Olympia.
The torch is made of steel and 70cm tall and weighs 1.5kg. The torch is symmetrical on all sides, featuring a golden ring separating the smooth top and sculpted bottom with a glossy mirror finish on a rippled surface, evoking the feeling of rippled water. The Olympics and the Paralympics torches are essentially the same, the main difference is the symbols around the center.
The Lighting Ceremony
The traditional torch lighting ceremony was held on April 16, 2024, at Olympia in Greece.
Torch Route
The torch will arrive by boat in Marseilles on May 8, before embarking on a 68-day journey around France.
Since the protests ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, torch relays have been confined to the host country, which for France doesn't necessarily mean it will be stuck on the continent. Outside of mainland France, the torch will go on an "ocean relay", visiting five overseas French territories: Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, French Polynesia, and Reunion.
There will be 10,000 torchbearers, though many of these will be part of "torch relays" where groups of 24 will move together with only one person holding the actual torch.
The torch relay will conclude in Troyes, Aube, a unique area on the outskirts of Paris.
Related Pages
- History of the Olympic Torch Relay
- About the Olympic Torches
- Art and the Olympics
- About the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
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