Paris 2024 has found its Flamebearers!

2024-01-15 16:39:06

After the announcement of the first bearers of the Flame, captains of the collective relays, Paris 2024 today reveals the good news to the majority – 80% – of the 11,000 people who will live the unique experience of carrying the torch on the Relays of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Flame.

Flagship events which mark the start of the Games and the celebrations, the Olympic Torch Relay and the Paralympic Torch Relay organized with the support of its Official Sponsors, Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne, are unique moments which distinguish the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games from any other sporting event around the world. The arrival of the Olympic Flame in Marseille aboard the three-masted ship, the Belem, on May 8, 2024 will launch the start of the journey of the Flame bearers throughout the territory.

Of the 11,000 Torchbearers (10,000 people for the Olympic Torch Relay and 1,000 for the Paralympic Torch Relay), 80% have today received confirmation that they will carry the Flame on one of the two Paris 2024 Relays. The latest profiles will be revealed by April or sometimes kept secret until the last moment to preserve surprises, particularly when it comes to athletes and personalities.

The flame bearers now selected will join the great family of Pathfinders, all those who do and live sport on a daily basis and who will make the Paris 2024 Flame Relay a success. Whether they are anonymous or well known to the great public, they will be the first faces of this Relay.

Everyone will have in common that they share one of the 3 energies that shape the identity of the Torch Relay: the energy of sport, the collective and the territories.

Like these selected as part of the Paris 2024 Club campaign: Benjamin, a 43-year-old musician who crossed France by bike despite his paraplegia; Hayet, a 21-year-old volunteer committed to educating through sport in priority neighborhoods; Marc, seasoned sportsman, still not satisfied with extreme challenges at 70; Marie, 37, who works daily once morest chronic illnesses and with autistic children; William, 30 years old, young skipper passionate regarding nautical innovation; or even Ranitea, a 19-year-old Polynesian student strongly invested in the development of women’s sports.

The bearers of the Flame will be of all ages, 50% are women and 50% men and they represent 100% of the French departments.

Flamebearers will lead the way to the Games and celebrations

By carrying the Olympic Flame and the Paralympic Flame on the roads of France, they will launch the start of the celebrations throughout the country. From May 8, 2024, as soon as the Olympic Flame arrives in Marseille aboard the Belem, they will raise the fervor in all territories to prepare the public for the arrival of the Games. For nearly 3 months, from May 8 to July 26, 2024, 10,000 bearers of the Olympic Flame will meet the French in more than 400 cities including 5 overseas territories (Guyana, Reunion Island, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe and Martinique) before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

They will once once more mobilize the French before the return match of Paris 2024, the Paralympic Games. For 4 days, from August 25 to 28, 2024, the Paralympic Torch Relay will pass through more than 50 cities until the opening ceremony in the heart of the capital on Place de la Concorde.

The selection of the Torch Bearers has mobilized the entire Paris 2024 ecosystem since June 1, 2023

To identify the bearers of the Flame, Paris 2024 mobilized from June 1 to October 15, 2023 a multitude of actors from its ecosystem, with their strong capacity for commitment and their territorial anchoring: the Official Sponsors of the Flame Relays, the partner companies, the sports movement, the stakeholders of the Games and the territories crossed by the Relays all contributed to this selection via various methods: spontaneous application, sponsorship, competition or even a random draw. All those selected share the one of the three energies of sport, of the collective or of the territories, dear to the Relais de Paris 2024.

More than 100,000 applications and/or nominations were collected via the various campaigns of the two sponsors of the Torch Relay and the Paris 2024 Club:

• 30,000 nominations for the Paris 2024 Club campaign – ended June 30, 2023
• 15,000 candidates on the Coca-Cola campaign – ended October 15, 2023
• 55,000 candidates in the Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne campaigns ending September 30, 2023.

Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024:
“The Torch Relay is above all a human adventure which is embodied through the stories of each bearer. Whether they are athletes or sports enthusiasts, involved in the regions or involved in meaningful collective projects, those called Scouts represent the richness and diversity of our society. With them, the Torch Relay will be a magnificent moment of openness, transmission and sharing. Congratulations to all our Flame bearers, and see you on the roads of France, from May 8, 2024, to experience this fabulous adventure together! »

Claire Revenu, General Director of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games at Coca-Cola:
“The Torch Bearers that we have selected have been chosen for their life journeys and their unique stories. Their role will go beyond passing the baton, they become the bearers of a powerful message, spreading the unity that characterizes the Olympic Games. By carrying the Flame, they embody openness, sharing and transmission between individuals, cultures and nations, reinforcing the idea that sport can inspire the world to unite in the celebration of performance, excellence and fair play.
I sincerely thank everyone who trusted us and shared part of their story. Among them, we selected consumers, young people from Sport dans la Ville, but also company employees, athletes, content creators, public figures, partners and customers. »

Pierre-Laurent Berne, Director of Development Banque Populaire:
“Banque Populaire is pleased to get involved in the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays and to highlight on this occasion those who bring pride to our territories by distinguishing themselves in their region. We share with all future bearers of the Flame of success and the energy of entrepreneurship. We can’t wait to experience these unforgettable moments alongside them. »

Jacques-Olivier Hurbal, Caisse d’Epargne Development Director:
“Caisse d’Epargne is proud, as Sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, to be able to shine the spotlight on the women and men who inspire our regions and contribute to creating a bond, by promoting commitment and live- together. The bearers of the Flame will embody this utility in the proximity to which we are attached as regional cooperative banks. »

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