Culture, heritage and table tennis get the party started in Moselle!

The Olympic torch continues its epic adventure in the heart of Europe. The people of Moselle turned out in force to celebrate its return. Metz had already rolled out the red carpet for the Olympic torch 32 years ago, on 4 January 1992, for the Albertville Winter Olympics. On Thursday, the Moselle department pulled out all the stops to fete the Torch Relay and get a festive preview of the Paris 2024 Games, which are just around the corner!

The Olympic torch shined a light on local heritage and know-how, such as glassmaking in Meisenthal and faience in Sarreguemines. The symbolic highlight of the stage was a stopover in Apach, at the tripoint of France, Luxembourg and Germany. A detour to Schengen added to the celebrations of Europe. Over 150 torchbearers carried the Olympic torch throughout the stage, including Alison Pineau, an icon of women's handball who lit the cauldron at the end of the day.

History and know-how take centre stage

Today, the Olympic torch showcased the natural wonders of the Moselle department and its regional know-how. It hit the road in Meisenthal, famous for its glassmaking tradition, visiting the Glass Museum, the International Glass Art Centre and the Halle Verrière. Its next stop was Sarreguemines, renowned for its faience, where it crossed the Sarra river over the Pont de l'Europe. A while later, once in Forbach, it went under the shadow of the 13th-century Schlossberg Castle.

The Olympic torch then celebrated the idea of Europe in the town of Apach, known for being the tripoint of France, Luxembourg and Germany! It zipped past the Apach Eiffel Tower in France, took a detour to the European Museum Schengen in Luxembourg and treaded German soil. Yet another brush with European history awaited following its passage through Thionville and Yutz, when it burned in front of the house of Robert Schuman, one of the Founding Fathers of Europe.

From there, the Olympic torch set course for Metz, which hosted the celebrations in the department. It highlighted its sporting venues, including the Les Arènes multi-sport palace, its cultural temples, such as the Centre Pompidou-Metz, and its historic landmarks, including Porte Serpenoise and Place d'Armes. The cauldron was ignited at the end of the day in Place de la République, where the celebration venue had been set up.

A land steeped in the ethos of the Games

The passage of the Olympic torch through Moselle was a great opportunity to emphasise just how excited this department is about the Paris 2024 Games. Moselle has been awarded the "Terre des Jeux 2024" label, while it has four sporting venues designated as Olympic Games preparation centres. Seven foreign delegations, amounting to more than 360 athletes and the accompanying staff, will be visiting the department this summer to fine-tune their build-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It goes just to show how life and sport are interwoven in Moselle. It can be seen in everyday life, with a wide range of sports venues and the successes of top-flight clubs such as Metz Handball, the most decorated club in team sports in France.

Table tennis front and centre in Metz

Metz hosted today's team relay, organised by the French Table Tennis Federation. The sport is riding a wave of popularity and could earn a few medals for the French delegation to the Paris 2024 Games. The location was no coincidence: the club from Metz has won the European Cup, competed in the Champions League and clinched multiple French Pro A championships.

Table tennis legend Jean-Philippe Gatien captained the relay. One of the most decorated players in history, Gatien is a two-time Olympic medallist (silver in Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000) and singles world champion (1993). Jean-Philippe was joined by another 23 table tennis enthusiasts and licence holders, showcasing the diversity of people who contribute to the vibrant table tennis scene. The group included Pauline Chasselin, who competed in the Tokyo Games; the international player Charlotte Lutz; the umpire Aurore Dussart; and the coaches Christian Martin and Jérôme Humbert.

Leading figures, athletes and celebrities committed to the cause

Nearly 150 torchbearers participated throughout the day, including renowned athletes such as the footballer Sylvain Kastendeuch, an FC Metz legend from the 1980s and 1990s. He was joined by Michael Jeremiasz, a wheelchair tennis player with four Paralympic medals from Beijing 2008 and France's flagbearer in Rio 2016.

Allison Pineau, one of French handball's most decorated players, took the final relay. The 35-year-old Olympic gold medallist, world champion (2017), European champion (2018) and former World Player of the Year (2009) lit the cauldron in Metz, where she played from 2009 to 2012 and won the French championship.

Moselle residents cheered the Olympians Sophie Villaume-Hubert (swimming, Beijing 2008) and Patrick Moyses (handbike, Seoul 1988). Other notable participants included the athletes Marie-José Brunet (judo), Jean-Christophe Cour (sailing), Charles Muzzoli (gymnastics) and Pierre Grousselle (race walking). The journalists Géraldine Weber (Discovery Channel) and Inès Lagdiri-Natasi (France Télévisions) also carried the torch.

These personalities shared the spotlight with everyday heroes such as Marie-Françoise Thul, the president of Moselle's Secours Populaire, and Ouarda Kebali, who launched Club Olympique Lutte Woippy, offering wrestling classes to youth in a sensitive neighbourhood of Metz.

After this grand celebration in Moselle, the Olympic torch will continue its journey tomorrow when it heads to Haute-Marne, from Langres to Saint-Dizier, showcasing the department's forests, natural spaces and heritage, including Nogent Castle and Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, General De Gaulle's peaceful retreat.