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Port de Marseille, Belem

The Olympic flame will begin its journey through France in Marseille

Marseille will have the honor and joy of being the first city to welcome the Olympic flame on French soil!

In the spring of 2024, the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay, an event sponsored by Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and the Caisse d'Epargne, will begin its journey through France in Marseille, the host city for the sailing and soccer events. 

Following its lighting in Greece at the ancient site of Olympia, the Olympic flame will travel on the Belem, a majestic three-masted ship, before arriving in Marseille, thereby forging a bond between Athens and this old Phoenician port, two cities closely connected by the history they share in common. This voyage across the Mediterranean – an event supported by the Caisse d'Epargne, a partner of Paris 2024 and sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay – will acquire the status of a Homeric epic, linking the land of the ancient Games to the land of the Enlightenment. This crossing includes a sporting element rich in symbolism and highly significant for Paris 2024 which is committed, along with its partners, to rallying the French population around the energy, values, and benefits of sport.

Fully committed from the very outset to the Paris 2024 project, Marseille will be playing a key role during the Games with its two competition sites: the Marseille Stadium, where the soccer events will be held, and the Marina which will be hosting the sailing events. Throughout the Games, the city will welcome in its harbor the Maxi Banque Populaire XI sailing vessel: an exceptional ship tailored for the most thrilling adventures, whose presence in the port will be a thrill for sailing enthusiasts and simple passers-by alike.

This first stage will be the starting point of a great collective and individual journey lasting several weeks and marking the start of the celebrations of the Olympic Games everywhere in France. The detailed route of the Torch Relay will be revealed in May 2023.

Click here to read the unabridged press release

  • Groupe BPCE
  • Paris 2024
  • Sport
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