Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay: Stéfanos Doúskos named as first torchbearer in Olympia
The Olympic rowing champion will be the first torchbearer for the Paris 2024 torch relay, which begins on 16 April 2024
The name of the first torchbearer of the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay was announced by the Hellenic Olympic Committee on Wednesday 22 November.
Stéfanos Doúskos will be the first bearer of the Olympic torch. The Tokyo 2020 rowing champion will begin the journey of the Olympic flame that culminates with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024.
The Olympic flame lighting ceremony will take place on 16 April in Olympia, the cradle of Olympism, where the Ancient Olympic Games were held.
For 11 days in Greece, 600 torchbearers will carry the flame over a distance of 500km through 41 municipalities of the country.
The water polo player Ioannis Fountoulis will be the final torchbearer in Greece. At 35 years old, the Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo 2020 will have the honour of carrying the flame to the Panathean Stadium in Athens and passing it on to the President of Greece's National Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos on 26 April who will deliver it to the organising committee of Paris 2024.
"Once again, the Hellenic Olympic Committee is ready to successfully carry out this important mission," said Capralos.
The flame will then head to France by sea and land in Marseille on 8 May aboard the three-masted ship Belem. A 68-day torch relay will then take place in France.
A total of 10,000 torchbearers will carry the flame across the 64 territories of France until 26 July when the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony will take place on the River Seine.
Key dates and figures of the Olympic torch relay
- 16 April 2024: The lighting of the Olympic flame takes place in Olympia, Greece
- 8 May 2024: The flame arrives in Marseille, France
- 68 days of the Torch Relay takes place across the territories of France
- 64 territories will be visited by the Olympic Torch Relay
- 5 overseas territories (Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, French Polynesia and Reunion) will be visited
- 10,000 Olympic torchbearers will take part
- 26 July 2024: the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024
- 200 metres: the average distance covered by an Olympic torchbearer