The torch that will be used to carry the Olympic flame around France ahead of 2024’s Olympic Games was unveiled by the Games’ organisers on Tuesday.
A sleek cylinder of recycled steel, the torch was created by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur who was “inspired by three symbols of the upcoming Games: Equality, Water and Peacefulness”.
The champagne-coloured torch is tapered at both ends and is being made in limited numbers to save resources. 2000 torches are being produced, five times fewer than for some previous editions of the Games, according to organisers.
Each one weighs 1.5 kilograms and is 70 centimetres tall.
A long journey
The torch will begin its journey in Olympia, Greece, where it will be lit, before being transported by boat to the southern French city of Marseille.
The torch relay will start from there on May 8, with 10,000 torchbearers taking turns to carry it, the last of them lighting the cauldron at the Games’ opening ceremony.
The same torch design will be used for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
A further 1000 torchbearers will carry it for the Paralympics.
A mythical object
Internationally renowned for his designs, Lehanneur, 49, says it was “a once-in-a-lifetime dream” to design the Olympic torch.
“Ritualistic and magical in equal measure, the Torch is a mythical object. A symbol of cohesion and sharing, it really does play a key role in the Games,” says Lehanneur.
“It will travel thousands of kilometres, passed from person to person, on land and sea. For Paris 2024, and for the first time in its history, it plays on perfect symmetry, speaking to us more clearly about equality.”
Source: Africanews
