Paris 2024 Olympics: Innovative flying Olympic Flame takes centre stage
The City of Lights lived up to its name as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron took centre stage at Paris 2024’s Opening Ceremony.
Heavy rain wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of athletes and fans alike who lined the River Seine on 26 July to welcome in the 33rd Olympiad in France’s capital.
The four hour long ceremony culminated as former French Olympian’s Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner lit the Olympic Cauldron, which then took up and rose into Paris’ night sky.
Much like the rest of the Opening Ceremony, the cauldron is a first-of-its-kind and gives the host city a unique opportunity to keep Paris alight throughout the Games.
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 26: Torch bearers French Athlete Marie-Jose Perec and French Judoka Teddy Riner light the Olympic Cauldron at the Gardens of the Tuileries during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France.
The Olympic Cauldron has always remained on the ground in one position for the entirety of a Games, however Mathieu Lehanneur, the Cauldron’s designer, had other plans for Paris 2024.
In a tribute to French pioneers Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, the Cauldron was designed as part of a hot air balloon. The Cauldron itself is 30 metre high and features a seven metre diameter ring of fire, which houses the actual flame and symbolises one of the French Republic’s three core values: fraternity.
Throughout the day, the Cauldron will remain on the ground before taking flight at sunset to sit 30 metres high in the sky and will be visible from hundreds of metres away.
To further honour the Montgolfier brothers, the Cauldron is situated in the Jardin des Tuileries, in alignment with the Louvre, La Concorde, and the Arc de Triomphe. It is here where Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier’s hot air balloon took off in front of 400,000 people in 1783.
Throughout the Games, 10,000 visitors will be able to get up close and personal with the cauldron each day at the Jardin des Tuileries before it takes to the skies each nightfall.
For the first time in the history of the Games, the Olympic Flame shines without fuel which is made possible by water, light and electricity.
“A meticulous combination of a cloud of mist and beams of light, the Olympic Flame will flicker with electricity as its sole source of energy,” Olympics.com revealed.
The electric and water supply for the Cauldron is powered by Paris 2024 partner EDF to ensure that the flame is possible without any fossil fuel combustion.
"Light, magical and unifying, it will be a beacon in the night and a sun within reach during the day. The fire that burns in it will be made of light and water,” Lehanneur explained.
He went on to compare the innovative design to a cool oasis in the heart of summer.
“I created the Torch, the Relay cauldron and the Olympic Cauldron as three chapters in the same story. The Cauldron is the epilogue and the ultimate symbol of that story.”