Paris Olympic

On April 16, 2024, local time, the flame for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris was kindled in Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympics. 

To fire the cauldron that will signal the start of the Summer Games in July, the flame will now set out on its relay journey.

The Olympic flame connects the ancient and modern Games. It manifests the virtues that people have always identified with the symbolism of fire in the context of the current Games.

At Olympia in Greece, a few months before the start of the Olympic Games, a flame is lighted. The fire evokes the connection between the Olympic Games of antiquity and the current era.

From there, the Flame journeys to the host city over a few weeks, mostly by runners on foot but also by other means.

The torch heralds the Olympic Games and promotes friendship and peace among people during the Torch Relay. 

It is at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, that the Torch relay concludes. 

Entering the stadium, the last runner (or occasionally, runners) lights the Olympic flame within the cauldron.

On May 8, the torch for the Olympics in Paris is anticipated to land in France, marking the start of the next relay leg.

It is estimated that over 10,000 torchbearers will be passing the flame from hand to hand during this journey, and on July 26 it will arrive at the Olympic cauldron in Paris, where it will stay illuminated until the Closing Ceremony two weeks later.

In addition, the flame will light the Paralympic Games, which will run from August 28 to September 8. During the games, 1,000 torchbearers will assist in passing the torch across fifty French cities and villages.

Originally, the flame was supposed to be lit by collecting the sun's light in an oval mirror at the temple of Hera, but due to the cloudy weather on the day, the flame was lit with pre-prepared embers.

It is exciting to note that this will be the first time since the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics that the ceremony has been held in its entirety in front of a large crowd.