Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay preview: full route, key events, Torchbearers and how to watch the Marseille arrival live
The celebrations are about to get underway in France ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
After 11 days in Greece, and as many days travelling across the Mediterranean on board of the iconic three-masted Belem, the Olympic flame is about to reach French soil.
On Wednesday 8 May, the Olympic flame will arrive in the Old Port of Marseille and kick-start a spectacular ceremony that will mark the beginning of its 69-day journey across the French territory.
About 10,000 Torchbearers will take turns hoisting the Olympic flame around France, including its overseas territories, until 26 July when it will be used to signal the start of the Olympic Games during a historic Opening Ceremony in Paris.
But before all that, find out everything you need to know about Olympic Torch Relay on French soil including the route, schedule, Torchbearers, and how to watch the arrival ceremony live.
What is the route of the Olympic Torch Relay?
-
Stage 1: 9 May 2024, Marseille
-
Stage 2: 10 May 2024, Var (Stopover city: Toulon)
-
Stage 3: 11 May 2024, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (Manosque)
-
Stage 4: 12 May 2024, Bouches-du-Rhône (Arles)
-
Stage 5: 13 May 2024, Millau-Sète-Montpellier (Montpellier)
-
Stage 6: 14 May 2024, Corse (Bastia)
-
Stage 7: 15 May 2024, Pyrénées-Orientales (Perpignan)
-
Stage 8: 16 May 2024, Aude (Carcassonne)
-
Stage 9: 17 May 2024, Haute-Garonne (Toulouse)
-
Stage 10: 18 May 2024, Gers (Auch)
-
Stage 11: 19 May 2024, Hautes-Pyrénées (Tarbes)
-
Stage 12: 20 May 2024, Pyrénées-Atlantiques (Pau)
-
Stage 13: 22 May 2024, Dordogne (Périgueux)
-
Stage 14: 23 May 2024, Bordeaux and the Libournais area (Bordeaux)
-
Stage 15: 24 May 2024, Charente (Angoulême)
-
Stage 16: 25 May 2024, Vienne (Grand Poitiers-Futuroscope)
-
Stage 17: 27 May 2024, Indre (Châteauroux)
-
Stage 18: 28 May 2024, Maine-et-Loire (Angers)
-
Stage 19: 29 May 2024, Mayenne (Laval)
-
Stage 20: 30 May 2024, Calvados (Caen)
-
Stage 21: 31 May 2024, Manche (Le Mont-Saint-Michel)
-
Stage 22: 1 June 2024, Ille-et-Vilaine (Rennes)
-
Stage 23: 2 June 2024, Deux-Sèvres (Niort)
-
Stage 24: 4 June 2024, Vendée (Les Sables-d'Olonne)
-
Stage 25: 5 June 2024, from the Loire to the Atlantic Ocean (La Baule-Escoublac)
-
Stage 26: 6 June 2024, Morbihan (Vannes)
-
Stage 27: 7 June 2024, Finistère (Brest)
-
Stage 28: 9 June 2024, Guyane (Cayenne)
-
Stage 29: 11 June 2024, Nouvelle-Calédonie (Nouméa)
-
Stage 30: 12 June 2024, La Réunion (Saint-Denis)
-
Stage 31: 13 June 2024, Polynésie française (Papeete)
-
Stage 32: 15 June 2024, Guadeloupe (Baie-Mahault)
-
Stage 33: 17 June 2024, Martinique (Fort-de-France)
-
Stage 34: 18 June 2024, Alpes-Maritimes (Nice)
-
Stage 35: 19 June 2024, Vaucluse (Avignon)
-
Stage 36: 20 June 2024, Drôme (Valence)
-
Stage 37: 21 June 2024, Vichy
-
Stage 38: 22 June 2024, Loire (Saint-Etienne)
-
Stage 39: 23 June 2024, Haute-Savoie (Chamonix-Mont-Blanc)
-
Stage 40: 25 June 2024, Doubs (Besançon)
-
Stage 41: 26 June 2024, the European region of Alsace (Strasbourg)
-
Stage 42: 27 June 2024, Moselle (Metz)
-
Stage 43: 28 June 2024, Haute-Marne (Saint-Dizier)
-
Stage 44: 29 June 2024, Meuse (Verdun)
-
Stage 45: 30 June 2024, Marne (Reims)
-
Stage 46: 2 July 2024, Nord (Lille)
-
Stage 47: 3 July 2024, Pas-de-Calais (Lens-Liévin)
-
Stage 48: 4 July 2024, Somme (Amiens)
-
Stage 49: 5 July 2024, Seine-Maritime (Le Havre)
-
Stage 50: 6 July 2024, Eure (Vernon)
-
Stage 51: 7 July 2024, C'Chartres (Chartres)
-
Stage 52: 8 July 2024, Loir-et-Cher (Blois)
-
Stage 53: 10 July 2024, Loiret (Orléans)
-
Stage 54: 11 July 2024, Yonne (Auxerre)
-
Stage 55: 12 July 2024, Côte-d'Or (Dijon)
-
Stage 56: 13 July 2024, Aube (Troyes)
-
Stage 57: 14 July 2024, Paris
-
Stage 58: 15 July 2024, Paris (Paris)
-
Stage 59: 17 July 2024, Aisne (Saint-Quentin)
-
Stage 60: 18 July 2024, Oise (Beauvais)
-
Stage 61: 19 July 2024, Val-d'Oise (Soisy-sous-Montmorency)
-
Stage 62: 20 July 2024, Seine-et-Marne (Meaux)
-
Stage 63: 21 July 2024, Val-de-Marne (Créteil)
-
Stage 64: 22 July 2024, Essonne (Evry-Courcouronnes)
-
Stage 65: 23 July 2024, Yvelines (Versailles)
-
Stage 66: 24 July 2024, Hauts-de-Seine (Nanterre)
-
Stage 67: 25 July 2024, Seine-Saint-Denis
-
Stage 68: 26 July 2024, Seine-Saint-Denis and Paris
The Olympic flame departs Athens on board the Belem on 27 April 2024
When does the Olympic flame arrive in Marseille?
Wednesday is set to be an unforgettable and emotional day. On 8 May, after crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the Belem will arrive in Marseille.
The famous ship will appear off the northern harbour of the French city from 11:00 (all times CEST). Joined by 1,024 local boats, the Belem will start a parade along the coast as it sails to the southern section for 17:00.
At the same time, multiple events, open to the public for free, will take place around the Old Port of Marseille.
The Belem will enter the harbour at 19:00, accompanied by the music of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Marseille as fireworks light up the sky. French swimmer Florent Manaudou, gold medallist at London 2012, will be the first Torchbearer and will transport the Olympic flame from the Belem to the Torch Relay cauldron, which will then be lit around 19:30.
The French swimmer will be the first in a long line of former Olympians, sports stars and celebrities to take part in the Olympic Torch Relay in Marseille.
What celebrations will happen in Marseille?
Around 150,000 people are expected to attend the arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseille. A huge outdoor concert featuring local rappers Alonzo and Soprano will take place from 21:00 until midnight.
The arrival of the Olympic flame will be filled with great symbolism, since it marks a connection between two cities which are closely linked by their influence over the Mediterranean basin: Athens and Marseille.
The 2,600-year-old French city is a former Greek colony (Massilia) and is France's oldest city. You can read more about their history here.
Marseille will host the sailing events at Paris 2024 and some football matches.
What happens after the arrival ceremony in Marseille?
After the celebrations in Marseille on 8 and 9 May, more than 400 cities, 65 French departments and six overseas territories (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, French Polynesia, the island of Réunion and New Caledonia) will host the Olympic Torch Relay.
At the end of each stage, the last visited city will host a lighting ceremony of the Torch Relay cauldron. On each occasion, the general public will have the opportunity to get involved and enjoy various activities from sporting initiations and cultural initiatives to concerts and shows. These celebration venues will be open to the public from 15:30 until 19:45.
Along the route of the Olympic Torch Relay and across the French territory, an artistic and cultural programmme will offer an immersive experience to spectators and local communities: the Cultural Olympiad.
Olympic Torch Relay: Torchbearers and team relays
Over the next three months, from 8 May to 26 July 2024, around 10,000 Olympic Torchbearers will travel across the French territory. Some will be walking, others running, riding a bike, surfing, skating or even climbing; both individually and as a group.
Each Torchbearer will carry the Olympic flame over an average distance of around 200m, but they must follow a minutely-executed process before and after their relay handover.
For the first time in Olympic Games history, one or two team relays will take place on each day of the Olympic Torch Relay.
A team relay is made up of 24 people, including a team relay captain - such as French skater Vincent Milou in Bordeaux, or his fellow countryman and cyclist Guillaume Martin in Mont-Saint-Michel - who will carry the flame.
The team is not only made up of champions but also everyday athletes, volunteers, referees and coaches. They might come from different backgrounds, but they all have something in common: they embody the energy of sport and the Olympic spirit.
How can I watch the Olympic flame arrive in Marseille?
You can watch the Olympic flame arrive in Marseille live on Olympics.com this Wednesday 8 May, with coverage getting underway from 18:30 CET.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay in numbers
- 10,000 Olympic Torchbearers
- 3,000 Torchbearers will take part in the team relays
- 400 cities will be visited
- 68 days of relays, plus a prologue in Marseille on 8 May
- 12,000km covered by the Olympic flame in France
- 65 territories involved in the Olympic Torch Relay
- 6 overseas territories: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and the island of Réunion
- 7 segments: the average number of cities visited per day for each Olympic Torch Relay
- 200 metres: the average distance covered by an Olympic Torchbearer, called a 'slot'
- 4km per hour: the average speed of an Olympic Torchbearer during the relay
Olympic Torch Relay glossary
- The Olympic torch: The most iconic object of the Olympic Torch Relay, the Olympic torch embodies - through its shape, colour, and inspirations - the identity of each edition of the Olympic Games. It is a work of art in its own right.
- The safety lanterns: Less known to the general public, the lanterns play a crucial role in transporting the Olympic flame from Olympia.
- The Olympic Torch Relay cauldron: This is lit at the end of each stage by the final Torchbearer. It is from this cauldron that the safety lantern is then lit to ensure the continuity of the Olympic flame.
- The Opening Ceremony cauldron: The final leg of the Olympic Torch Relay ends with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, and the Olympic Games will begin. The identity of the final torchbearer will only be revealed at the last moment.