PARIS (AP) — From the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, from Paris' upscale neighborhoods to working-class neighbourhoods, hundreds of people carried the Olympic torch as it toured the French capital for two days of pre-Olympic celebrations. Summer Olympics It will start at the end of this month.
Joyful crowds lined the streets on Sunday and Monday.
“It was a great feeling,” BMX world champion Matthias Dandois said after carrying the torch in front of the Eiffel Tower. “I'm from Paris and I grew up playing sports and watching the Olympics. It was a dream come true to be able to take part in the Olympics.”
About 10,000 people were selected to carry the torch from the southern port city of Marseille across France. Arrived on May 8thto Opening ceremony The 10th Praemium Imperiale Award Ceremony was held in New York on July 26th, and many of the recipients were athletes. The award was given to a wide range of people, including representatives of the arts, culture and gastronomy, volunteers in charitable activities and people who are deeply involved in their local communities.
The athletes, clad in white, ran at a leisurely pace amid cheers from the crowd. The torch reached the top of the Eiffel Tower on Monday with French judoka and Olympic gold medallist Clarice Agbenou.
Franky Mbotte, a 26-year-old middle-distance runner from the Central African Republic who lives in Paris, carried it near the Arc de Triomphe.
“It's incredible! It's very moving. It highlights the Olympic spirit,” he said, adding that the relay was meant to convey a “message of peace”.
Another torchbearer, wheelchair basketball player Eva David, described it as a “true moment of ecstasy”.
Belgian singer Mentissa handed over the torch to the crowd as her song played. “Sport and music really bring people together and help us forget our everyday lives,” she said.
Torch Grand entrance to the Bastille in Paris Colonel Thibaut Valette, a military equestrian and 2016 Olympic gold medalist at the Rio Olympics, presented the flag on Sunday, handed over to a relay race of students from the multicultural northern suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Thierry Henry, a former World Cup winner who coaches France's Olympic soccer team, then carried the torch down the Champs-Elysees.
Among the most high-profile torchbearers was Jin, the K-pop icon and member of the band BTS, who carried the torch in front of the Louvre on Sunday night.
“I am honored to be able to take part in such a meaningful moment,” he said, according to his agency.
Jin's relay drew a huge crowd. Sofia Bukabula, 23, said she had no interest in watching the Olympics but rushed over with friends to see Jin. “He's so cute,” she exclaimed.
Late Sunday, local trash collector Ludovic Francechet carried the torch inside Paris City Hall, where it remained overnight under heavy security. Francechet, an environmental awareness activist with hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram, used the opportunity to urge residents and tourists to toss their rubbish in bins.
The torch relay was also an opportunity for people at the Bataclan concert hall and other locations to pay tribute to the victims of the 2015 attack in the French capital. The man who saved lives during an attack on a kosher supermarketCarried the Olympic torch at the Pantheon monument.
Some bystanders were relieved by the recent unrest in France.
“It almost makes me want to cry to finally see the torch. It's kind of a joy after such a terrible few weeks,” Isabel Kling, 70, said recently, having strayed from her usual dog walking route to watch the relay. election In France.
The torch will continue its journey through northern France and the Paris region before returning to the French capital.
The Olympic cauldron will be lit after the opening ceremony. Along the Seine July 26th.
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Associated Press writers Oleg Cetinić in Paris and Kim Hyun-jin in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.
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See AP's Olympics coverage here https://apnews.com/hub/2024-Paris-Olympics
