Following the announcement of the first Torchbearers and captains of the team Relays, Paris 2024 had good news this week for 80% of the 11,000 people who will have the unique experience of carrying the Torch on the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays.
On 15 January, they received confirmation that they will be carrying the Torch on either the Olympic or Paralaympic Torch Relay. The final identities will be revealed to the public between now and April. Some will even be kept secret until the last moment to maintain the surprise, notably of athletes and personalities.
The Torchbearers now selected join the large family of Forerunners, all those who play and live sport on a daily basis and who will make the Paris 2024 Torch Relay a success. Whether they are anonymous or well known to the public, they will be the first faces of this Relay.
What they all have in common is that they share one of the three energies that shape the identity of the Torch Relay: the energy of sport, the energy of the communities or the energy of the regions.
As an example of those selected as part of the Club Paris 2024 campaign: Benjamin, a 43-year-old musician has cycled across France despite his paraplegia; Hayet, a 21-year-old volunteer is engaged in education through sport in priority neighborhoods; Marc is a seasoned sportsman who still cannot get enough of extreme challenges at the age of 70; Marie, 37, works on a daily basis to combat chronic illnesses and help children with autism; William is 30-year-old skipper passionate about nautical innovation; and Ranitea is a 19-year-old Polynesian student who is strongly committed to the development of women's sport.
The Torchbearers will be of all ages, 50% are women and 50% are men, and they represent 100% of the French departments.
Paving the way for the Games and the celebrations
As key events marking the start of the Games and the celebrations, the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, supported by their official sponsors, Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne, are unique occasions which set the Olympic and Paralympic Games apart from any other sports event in the world. The arrival of the Olympic Flame in Marseille, aboard the three-masted Belem on 8 May 2024, will launch the start of the journey of the Torchbearers throughout France.
The mission is to raise the excitement levels in all the the host countries' regions to prepare the public for the arrival of the Games. For almost three months, from 8 May to 26 July 2024, 10,000 Olympic Torchbearers will meet French people in over 400 towns and cities, including five overseas regions (French Guiana, Reunion Island, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe and Martinique) before the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
They will again remobilize the country before the return match of Paris 2024, the Paralympic Games. For four days, from 25 to 28 August 2024, the Paralympic Torch Relay will pass through more than 50 towns and cities prior to the Opening Ceremony in the heart of the capital at the Place de la Concorde.
Six Paralympic Team Relays
For the first time in the history of the Games, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Torch Relay and the Olympic Torch Relay will feature relay teams of 24 people, made up of champions, everyday athletes, volunteers, referees, and coaches. They will be organised to spread the energy of sport and teamwork throughout the country of France ahead of the Opening Ceremony of each Games.
For the Paralympic Torch Relay, which takes place from 25-28 August, 200 torchbearers will take part in team relays, and six relays will be organised by the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF) to represent the identity of Para sport.
Additionally, as the part of the Olympic Torch Relay, Para and adaptive sport will take a prominent role throughout. Indeed, the French Disability Sport Federation (FFH), will have the honour of the inaugural team relay on 10 May in Var, Saint-Raphaël.
Selection of the Torchbearers
The selection of the Torchbearers has mobilised the whole Paris 2024 ecosystem since 1 June 2023.
To find the Torchbearers, from 1 June to 15 October 2023, Paris 2024 mobilised a multitude of partners from its ecosystem, with their strong capacity for engagement and their links to the regions: the official sponsors of the Torch Relays, corporate partners, the sports movement, the Games stakeholders and the regions visited by the Relays all contributed to this selection via various methods: applications, sponsorship, competitions, prize draws, etc. All selected persons share one of the three energies of the Torch Relay: the energy of sport, the energy of the communities or the energy of the regions.
More than 100,000 applications and/or nominations were collected via the different campaigns of the two sponsors of the Torch Relay and Club Paris 2024:
- 30,000 nominations via the Club Paris 2024 campaign - ending on 30 June 2023
- 15,000 candidates via the Coca-Cola campaign - ending on 15 October 2023
- 55,000 candidates via the Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne campaigns – ending on 30 September 2023.
Voices of motivation
Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 President: “The Torch Relay is, above all, a human adventure, represented by the stories of each Torchbearer. Be they athletes or sports enthusiasts, committed to their local communities or involved in meaningful community projects, the people we call the Forerunners represent the richness and diversity of our society. With them, the Torch Relay will be a wonderful moment of openness, transmission and sharing. Congratulations to all our Torchbearers, and we look forward to seeing you on the roads of France, from 8 May 2024, to experience this fabulous adventure together!”
Claire Revenu, Coca-Cola General Manager, Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024: “The Torchbearers we have selected have been chosen for their unique backgrounds and stories. Their role will be more than just passing on the Torch, they will become the bearers of a powerful message, spreading the unity that characterises the Olympic Games. By carrying the Flame, they represent openness, sharing and transmission between individuals, cultures and nations, reinforcing the idea that sport can inspire the world to unite in the celebration of performance, excellence and fair play (...). I sincerely thank all those who have placed their trust in us and shared a part of their story. Among them, we have selected consumers, young people from Sport dans la Ville, but also company employees, athletes, content creators, public figures, partners and customers.”
Pierre-Laurent Berne, Banque Populaire Director of Development: “Banque Populaire is delighted to be involved in the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays and to take this opportunity to shine the spotlight on those who are the pride of all our regions by making a name for themselves in their own region. With all the future Torchbearers, we share success and energy in their undertakings. We look forward to sharing these unforgettable moments with them.”
Jacques-Olivier Hurbal, Caisse d’Epargne Director of Development: “As a sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, Caisse d'Epargne is proud to be able to shine the spotlight on the women and men who inspire our regions and help to create a bond by encouraging commitment and living together. The Torchbearers will represent these contributions in the local context to which we are committed as regional cooperative banks.”
About Paris 2024
The mission of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 Organising Committee, in accordance with the host city contract signed between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français (CNOSF – French National Olympic and Sporting Committee) and the Ville de Paris municipal authorities, is to plan, organise, fund and deliver the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the greatest sporting event in the world, with unparalleled media impact. They bring together 10,500 Olympic athletes and 4,400 Paralympic athletes, respectively from 206 and 182 delegations, across five continents. They are watched by over 13 million spectators and 4 billion television viewers across the world, across a total of over 100,000 hours of TV broadcasting. They are without equal in sporting, economic and cultural events throughout the world, and this power helps to further their impact.
Set up in January 2018, Paris 2024 is headed by Tony Estanguet, three-time Olympic champion. It is run by a Board of Directors, on which sit all the founding members of the project: the CNOSF, Ville de Paris, the French Government, the Île-de-France regional authority, the CPSF, the Métropole du Grand Paris, the Conseil départemental de Seine Saint-Denis, representatives of the local authorities involved in the Games, civil society and corporate partners.
