Paris 2024 Olympic Games: why was the Olympic flame actually lit on Monday?
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In the ancient sanctuary of Olympia, in front of the 2,600 year old ruins of the temple of Hera, the actress Mary Mina lit, this Tuesday, the famous flame which will then cross Europe to reach Paris.
But due to cloudy skies at the site of the first Olympic Games in ancient times, the lighting could not be done with the sun’s rays as ancient tradition dictates.
It was carried out with a reserve flame kept during Monday’s dress rehearsal thanks to the intervention of “priestesses” dressed in long light dresses inspired by the clothing of the ancient Greeks.
During the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the Olympic flame was also lit the day before the ceremony. Just like on Tuesday April 16, the sky was overcast and prevented the flame from being lit using parabolic mirrors which reflect the sun’s rays.
The flame was then transported to the ancient stadium of Hestadia to be given to the first torchbearer, Greek Olympic rowing champion Stefanos Ntouskos. He passed it on to former swimmer Laure Manaudou, the first French relay runner.
The torch is designed to withstand extreme conditions (wind, rain, snow, heat), and the most unexpected modes of transport. “It is essential to plan for a burning time longer than the duration necessary to carry out the relay, in order to anticipate any problem which would delay the torchbearer on his way,” it is specified on the official Games website.
A journey of 5,000 km and 11 days across Greece is planned, including a night near the Parthenon. The French organizers will then receive it on April 26 in the Panathenaic stadium in Athens, where the first Olympic Games of the modern era, in 1896, were contested.
The torch will arrive in Marseille on May 8, before crossing a large part of the departments of France, the Antilles and even French Polynesia.
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