Athens: In a symbolic journey marking the last sprint of preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 26, the Paris 2024 Olympic flame embarked for France on Saturday aboard a majestic three-masted ship.
Departing from the port of Piraeus in the morning, the “Belem” commenced an 11-day voyage bound for the southern French city of Marseille, steeped in history as it was founded by Greek settlers from Phocaea around 600 BC.
The flame had been received by Paris Games organizers on Friday in a solemn ceremony at Athens’ Panathenaic stadium, the historic site of the first modern Olympics in 1896. This marked the culmination of an 11-day Greek relay leg that commenced with the lighting of the flame in ancient Olympia.
Following a brief ceremony in Piraeus, the vessel embarked on its journey towards France.
An estimated crowd of 150,000 spectators is anticipated to gather at the Old Port of Marseille, which not only serves as the site for the Olympic sailing competitions but also as the starting point for a 68-day French torch relay spanning the nation.
The final torchbearer in Marseille will ascend to the roof of the Velodrome stadium on May 9, with the relay culminating in Paris on July 26. The iconic moment will be the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony along the picturesque Seine river.
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Organizers envision the opening ceremony as a breathtaking spectacle, with 160 boats carrying athletes from across the globe parading along a six-kilometer route towards the iconic Eiffel Tower. A global audience, alongside some 300,000 spectators lining the banks, will witness the event, with security measures heightened given the backdrop of conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
In anticipation of the Games, the French government has solicited assistance from around 45 foreign countries, seeking additional military, police, and civilian personnel to bolster security measures during the Paris Olympics.
