The Paris 2024 Relay across the Oceans

From 8 May to 26 July 2024, the Olympic Torch Relay will take place across France, marking the arrival of the Games and the Olympic Torch on French soil, with the help of the two Olympic Torch Relay partners, Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne. From 7 to 17 June, the flame will embark on a special stage of its journey to Paris: the Relay across the Oceans.

An Atlantic crossing aboard the Maxi Banque Populaire XI 

For this epic voyage aboard the Maxi Banque Populaire XI, the Olympic Flame will visit six French overseas territories in the four corners of the world, and across three out of the five planet’s oceans. First, on 9 June, the flame will head to French Guiana in the Atlantic Ocean, then New Caledonia (11 June) in the Pacific Ocean, Reunion Island (12 June) in the Indian Ocean, French Polynesia (13 June) and Guadeloupe (15 June), and finally Martinique (17 June) in the Atlantic Ocean.

This Relay across the Oceans will kick off with an exceptional event: skipper Armel le Cléac'h will take a very special crew across the Atlantic on board the Maxi Banque Populaire XI to Pointe-à-Pitre, where a new crew will set sail for Martinique for the second part of the Relay across the Oceans.

First crew celebrates French savoir-faire

The first Relay across the Oceans crew will celebrate French success and savoir-faire, with inspiring figures from the fields of sport, culture, art and gastronomy.

• Marie-José Pérec, a legend of French athletics and sport, triple Olympic champion in Atlanta and Barcelona. Originally from Guadeloupe, Marie-José Pérec won gold in the 400m event at the 1992 Barcelona Games, and was crowned in both the 400m and 200m events four years later in Atlanta.
• Marine Lorphelin, one of the first Torch Relay ambassadors, is an accomplished and active young doctor who embodies the values of sport, which she practices every day. She is also committed to promoting the health benefits of sport.
• Alexis Michalik, prodigy of French theater, whose play "Edmond" won 5 Molières. After playing the role of the famous French yachtsman Olivier de Kersauson in the movies last year, Alexis Michalik is preparing to portray his character in real life.
• Hugo Roellinger is a French chef with two Michelin stars. Originally from Brittany, he is committed to sustainable gastronomy and was awarded a Green Star in 2020. Hugo Roellinger loves the sea and has been sailing since he was young, with dreams of making a transatlantic crossing.

A second crew celebrating French overseas athletes

France’s overseas athletes have always been an integral part of French sport. The second leg of the relay will be an opportunity to pay tribute to them, as the crew will consist of four of France’s overseas athletes who have made an outstanding contribution to French sport. Armel le Cléac'h and Sebastien Josse will accompany this crew, as will Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 and the yacht’s sponsor:

• Laura Flessel is a legend of French sport, being the most decorated French fencer of all time. The Pointe-à-Pitre native started out at her club in Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe. An épée specialist, she is a five-time Olympic medalist, including two golds won at the Atlanta Games in 1996.
• Coralie Balmy, from La Trinité in Martinique, will carry the Olympic Flame in Sainte-Marie, the town of her club Font Giromon where her career began. She has won the European freestyle championships four times, competed in the Olympics three times, and won bronze at the London 2012 Games.
• Keni Piperol is a 27-year-old skipper from Paris who grew up in Guadeloupe. He won the 2022 Route du Rhum at the helm of a unique and innovative class40, which he built himself using only ecological materials with the help of apprentices from various trades.
• Thomas Debierre already has an impressive surfing record at the age of 24. The Guadeloupe native was ISA Junior World Champion and Junior Nations World Champion in 2016, as well as the 2018 French Junior Champion.

Once back in mainland France, the Olympic Flame will continue its journey to Paris and the lighting of the cauldron, on 26 July 2024 following the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.