With 366 days to go until the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the torch that will be used for the Olympic Torch Relay has been unveiled.
This Wednesday will mark D-365 before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In the meantime, the organizers have unveiled the design of the torch which will be used for the torch relay from next May 8 in Marseille. This silver torch was created by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur (49) and will be manufactured by ArcelorMittal, world leader in steel and Official Partner of the Games. In total, 2,000 torches will be manufactured, compared to 10,000 for previous editions of the Olympic Games, in order to reduce the impact of this production.
“Designing the Games Torch is a designer’s dream. A dream that only happens once in a lifetime, like a miraculous encounter with great history, rejoiced Mathieu Lehanneur. As ritual as it is magical, the Torch is a mythical object. A symbol of cohesion and sharing, it is the real key to entering the Games. It will thus travel thousands of kilometres, transmitted from hand to hand, on land and at sea. For Paris 2024, and for the first time in its history, it plays on perfect symmetry to better speak to us of equality. I wanted it to be extremely pure, iconic and almost essential. Simple as a hyphen and fluid as a flame…”
A torch made in France
She will carry the Olympic Flame and then the Paralympic Flame across France 🇫🇷
She will light the cauldron that will mark the beginning of our Games ✨
It will share the values and the spirit of #Paris2024Discover the Paris 2024 Games Torch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NZ847kPacC
— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) July 25, 2023
The torch represents three themes: equality, water and healing. This is why it is of perfect symmetry, both horizontally and vertically, has wave effects, reliefs and vibrations, and curves and rounding imbued with softness. The steel for the torch will be manufactured in France, in Châteauneuf in the Loire and in Florange and Woippy in the Moselle. Then a goldsmith from Vire, in Calvados, will form the upper and lower parts of the torch, before a final industrial group is responsible for applying a high-tech coating to give the torch its characteristic appearance and color. In the end, the torch will measure 70cm long, for a diameter of 3.5 to 10cm, and will weigh 1.5kg. The more than 1,000 torchbearers expected to carry the flame along the route will be able to begin to imagine their journey…
Photo credit: Paris 2024
