MARSEILLE, France — Paris Games organizers have called for “amazing” celebrations as large crowds are expected to gather in the southern French city of Marseille, where the majestic ship carrying the Olympic torch from Greece is expected to arrive on Wednesday. I promised to meet you. safety.
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, expressed his emotion at the arrival of the torch in France.
“It will be a great celebration to bring the Olympics back to our country,” he said.
The torch was lit in Greece last month before being officially handed over to France. She left Athens aboard her three-masted ship, Belém, first used in 1896, and spent 12 days at sea.
More than a thousand boats accompany Belém's parade around the Bay of Marseille. The ship then docks on a track-like pontoon in the Old Port.
The welcome ceremony will include a jet demonstration by the French Air Force's aerobatics team, Patrouil de France.
“As a former athlete, I know how important the start of a competition is. That is why we chose Marseille, because Marseille is undoubtedly one of the most beloved cities for sports ” said Estangue, a former Olympic canoeing star who won gold medals at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 Olympics.
Olympic swimmer Florent Manadou has been chosen to be the first torch bearer in France. Manaudu has won four Olympic medals and is the younger brother of swimmer Laure Manaudu, who won three Olympic medals in Athens in 2004.
“We are very proud,” said Marseille Mayor Benoît Payen. “This is where it all starts.”
The show “will surprise the world,” Payan said, adding that up to 150,000 spectators were expected at the Old Port.
The people of Marseille “have a sense of celebration, competition, sport and Olympism in their hearts,” he said, recalling that the city was founded by Greek settlers some 2,600 years ago. Ta.
Mr Payan said all efforts were being made to ensure safety in the water, at sea, in the air and on the ground.
Police and military presence was seen patrolling central Marseille on Tuesday as military helicopters flew over the old port, which has been extensively fenced.
Camille Chaise, a spokeswoman for France's interior ministry, said: “This incident is fraught with a variety of security threats,” the biggest being the “threat of terrorism.”
“We have taken various measures, in particular we have an elite National Military Police Intervention Group unit that will participate in the torch relay from start to finish,” she said.
The torch relay will start in Marseille on Thursday before heading to Paris via iconic locations across the country, from the world-famous Mont Saint-Michel to Normandy's D-Day landing beaches and the Palace of Versailles.
The Olympic cauldron will be lit after the opening ceremony on the Seine River on July 26th.
The cauldron will be lit at a location in Paris and will be kept secret until the day of the event. Some of the reported options include iconic spots like the Eiffel Tower and the Jardin des Tuileries outside the Louvre.
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AP journalists Jeffrey Schaefer, Oleg Setinich, Nicholas Garriga and Daniel Cole contributed to this article.