Benvinguts to the Catalan Country, where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean Sea
The Olympic Torch Relay has been trotting up and down the roads of France for a week together with its Partners Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne! The Pyrénées-Orientales department stepped into the limelight today.
Catalans, who have held the tradition of the Canigó Flame since ancestral times, were waiting for the arrival of the Olympic torch in their region with bated breath.
Stretching from the summit of the Canigó to Font-Romeu and on to Collioure, the seventh day of celebrations was a kaleidoscopic experience, reflecting the landscapes it illuminated! Fanny Horta, a champion on the French national rugby sevens team and silver medallist in Tokyo 2020, lit the cauldron in her home city of Perpignan to bring down the curtain on the festivities of the day.
The stage began with a powerful image: Laurent Satabin, a public servant with the departmental authorities who works day in, day out to get young people involved and promote sports, and Thibaut Vidal, who has volunteered with an American football squad for over a decade, lifting the Paris 2024 torch aloft on the peak of the Canigó, 2,784 metres above sea level, as the sun peeked over the horizon!
The lighting of the torch echoed another genuine Catalan tradition, the Canigó Flame, which is used to kindle the bonfires lit on Saint John's Eve. Throughout the year, this flame is kept burning at the Castillet in Perpignan before it is taken to the summit of the Canigó on Saint John's Eve. It was a fiery brush between these two "torch relay" traditions, each steeped in its own symbolism!
The jaw-dropping landscapes of Pyrénées-Orientales at the heart of stage 7
The Olympic torch advanced to the ancient fortified town of Prades and set course for the Catalan Pyrenees Natural Park. Around noon, the torch reached Céret, where it crossed the Devil's Bridge, and moved on to the lake at Villeneuve-de-la-Raho, a reservoir and a paradise for outdoor activities.
The last segment of the day took it to the Mediterranean coast and on to Perpignan, where it went through the Parc des Sports, the Citadel, Place de Catalogne and Quartier Clémenceau on its way to the Palace of the Kings of Majorca, where the crowds turned out in force for another day of celebrations.
Team relay shines a light on the modern pentathlon, the brainchild of Pierre de Coubertin
Stage 7 was a wonderful celebration of sport, with the French Pentathlon Federation organising a team relay in Font-Romeu, a household name for French athletes who train at high altitudes. Didier Boubé, who won a bronze medal in the team event in Los Angeles 1984, spearheaded a team of 24 diehard enthusiasts who put on a demonstration of the various disciplines that make up this combined event.
Among them were Coline Flavin, a gold medallist in the mixed relay in the last world championship of the discipline, as well as Brice Lopez, a keen promoter of ancient sports through his organisation Acta, and Léon Vandenboore, an avid practitioner of the modern pentathlon.
Nearly 130 torchbearers illuminate the Pyrenees
In addition to bringing the local community together, the Torch Relay shone a light on quite a few inspiring stories. One of the protagonists of the day was Thierry Jean Solignac, a sports enthusiast who has never let his rheumatoid arthritis stop him from practising his favourite activities, such as trail running and cycling.
In 2023, he even reached the summit of Mont Blanc with his son! Léa Delcroix, a cinema student, dreams of seeing her work recognised at the César Awards. Ophélie Portal, the founder of the charity Combat Louise, supports sick children thanks to the donations received by her husband when he runs triathlons. An accident left Camille Joffrin paraplegic when she was 16, but she pours her heart and soul into sport and is an active contributor to APF France Handicap.
The crowds also got to see more well-known faces, such as Major Mouvement, one of the most famous physiotherapists in France, who leverages social media to show people the ins and outs of his profession and explain health to the masses. Perrine Laffont went down in history as the first French female mogul skier to win a gold medal.
Now, the five-time world champion wants to inspire the generations of tomorrow to chase their dreams, take up sports and reach for the stars. Fanny Horta, a member of the French national rugby sevens team, silver medallist in Tokyo 2020 and member of the Paris 2024 Athlete's Commission, lit the cauldron in Perpignan.
The next stop on the journey of the Olympic torch is Aude, a diverse department with a rich historical heritage. It will visit the remains of Peyrepertuse Castle, take a breather on the sandy coast of Gruissan for a team relay on the waves and end the day in the heart of the citadel of Carcassonne.