The Olympic Flame boards the Belem at the hands of French President of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, Tony Estanguet. GETTY IMAGES

After disembarking in Marseille from Olympia,Greece this Wednesday, 8 May, the Olympic flame will travel throughout France, including overseas territories, for 80 days until arriving in Paris for the opening ceremony of the Games on 26 July.

Agence France-Presse takes us through the main stages of the French journey of the Olympic flame:

Arrival by sea to Marseille

The Belem sailboat, built in 1896, left the port of Athens with the Olympic flame and will dock in Marseille on 8 May, where it will be received, among others, by the French President Emmanuel Macron and by the cadets of the navy training ship Colombian ARC Gloria. The festivities in the Mediterranean city, which will host the Olympic sailing events, will culminate in a concert by rappers Soprano and Alonzo, which will serve to launch the celebrations in France.


Marseille makes its final preparations to receive the Olympic Flame tomorrow 8 May. GETTY IMAGES
Marseille makes its final preparations to receive the Olympic Flame tomorrow 8 May. GETTY IMAGES


The first to carry the flame after landing in France will be swimmer Florent Manaudou, four-time Olympic medalist and gold medalist in the 50-meter freestyle in London-2012. The Olympic flame will then travel through the Côte d'Azur region, Provence and the south of the Alps, passing through Mont Ventoux, well known to cycling fans.



New maritime journey

After ascending from the south to the north of France and traveling through Normandy and the landing beaches, the flame will pass by Mont Saint-Michel before embarking again on a voyage across the Atlantic. After leaving Brest on a trimaran, the flame will travel for nine days through the French overseas territories and return to the metropolis.

The Maxi Banque Populaire XI captained by Armel Le Cléac'h (winner of the Vendée Globe in 2017) will also travel with well-known celebrities on board; such as the triple Olympic athletics champion Marie-José Pérec, the playwright Alexis Michalik, the former Miss France Marine Lorphelin and chef Hugo Roellinger.

From 9-17 June, the ship will travel, in the so-called "Oceans Relay", to French Guiana and the Kourou space center, Réunion, Polynesia, New Caledonia, Guadeloupe and Martinique.


Martinique is the Olympic Flames' last stop on the
Martinique is the Olympic Flames' last stop on the "Oceans Relay". GETTY IMAGES


Paris in July

The flame returns to the European continent through Nice and will travel through the French Alps, before heading to the Loire region; famous for its castles, such as Chambord.

The flame arrives in Paris on 12 July and after spending that first night at the City Hall, will begin a tour of the French capital, home of the Games: visiting the Louvre, the Sorbonne, the Champs-Élysées, the Bataclán hall, the Tower Eiffel, Montmartre, the Buttes-Chaumont park, Belleville, the Arc de Triomphe, Roland Garros, and many other touristic sites in the city.

Cauldron in the Tuileries Garden

On the eve of the opening of the Games, the flame will be in the Georges-Valbon park in La Courneuve, on the northern outskirts of the capital, then along the Canal de l'Ourcq until 26 July —opening day of the Games— in an location undisclosed for now, as is the identity of the last reliever.



During the Games, the cauldron with the Olympic flame will be located in the Tuileries Garden, at the height of the 'Grand Bassin', near the entrance located in front of the Louvre Pyramid.