Mascot Olympic Games Paris.©AFP
The torch relay for the Paris Olympic Games will start in April 2024 in the southern port of Marseille, the organizers announced on Friday. The torch will arrive in Marseille from Greece, the spiritual home of the Olympic Games, on a three-master. It will set the tone for a Games whose opening ceremony will take place on the Seine in Paris. “In the spring of 2024, Marseille will have the honor and fortune of being the first city to welcome the Olympic flame on French soil,” the Paris 2024 organizers said in a statement.
“The Belem, a majestic three-masted ship, will carry the flame across the Mediterranean from Athens to Marseilles, two cities closely linked by a shared history.”
The ancient Greek colony of Massalia was founded in 600 BC on the French Mediterranean coast. The settlement would become modern-day Marseille.
Chief organizer Tony Estanguet said Marseille was “a natural and clear choice” to host the arrival of the torch.
Marseille organizes sailing events for the Games.
The Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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