The Olympic torch relay joined the Bastille Day military parade in the French capital just 12 days before the start of the 2024 Summer Games and swept past the famous landmarks of the City of Light – the Champs-Elysees, the National Assembly, Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Grand Mosque.
Organisers praised the relay’s success at a national level, with some five million people coming to watch it as it passed through 450 French cities and towns since May 8.
The torch relay ahead of the Paris Olympics reached the French capital for the first time on Sunday, with organisers hoping to generate enthusiasm for the Games among the city’s sceptical residents.
The flame was first spotted during the traditional military parade, which is held annually on the national day of July 14, and then began its journey across the city from the Champs-Elysees.
World Cup-winning football great Thierry Henry was given the honour of walking first down the capital’s most famous avenue before the torch headed towards landmarks such as Parliament and Notre Dame. Henri told reporters of his star-studded journey:
It’s not something you give up, on our national day, on the Champs Elysees, at the Olympics in Paris. It’s just extraordinary.
Preparations for the Paris Games have been marked by what chief organiser Tony Estanguet called “Olympic bullying”, with many Parisians becoming the harshest critics of the event and the turmoil in the city.
Many families in affluent areas had already left for the long summer holidays, deliberately skipping the July 26-August 11 extravaganza. 22-year-old student Manon Skura told AFP at the Champs-Elysees:
I’m following them putting up the equipment, the stadiums, the impact that it will have on us, not really the torch.
The games will take place in the heart of the City of Light, with temporary stadiums built at tourist hotspots such as the Eiffel Tower, Invalides and Place de la Concorde.
Final preparations for the Olympic Games
Organisers say using the capital’s famous streets and the River Seine as a backdrop will ensure an “iconic” Olympics, but it has also led to significant parts of the city centre being blocked off and traffic brought to a standstill.
The latest change to the capital’s streets is the addition of some 44,000 metal barriers around the River Seine, where a spectacular opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 26. The mayor of the upmarket river-side 7th district of Paris, Jean-Pierre Lecoq, said last week:
Some residents have shared with us their amazement, as well the physical impossibility of leaving their homes.
Chief organiser Tony Estanguet told AFP that pushing back the pessimists was one of his most difficult tasks. Estanguet said during an interview on Thursday:
My role has been to protect our vision against everyone who criticises, those who don’t believe in it, those who would take pleasure in seeing it not go well.
He said the torch relay was a huge success at the national level, with about five million people coming to watch it since May 8. Estanguet also explained:
We’re delighted with how it has gone so far. It has completely met the targets we gave ourselves.
The relay travelled through 450 French cities and towns without any major security problems – a testament to the huge police presence and careful planning. Some 200 members of the security forces are constantly around the torch, including anti-terrorist special forces and drone operatives.
