Paralympic Torch Relay - Day 2 : the Torch on a journey through the heart of French regions
The 12 Paralympic torches continue their march towards Paris, following the historic alighting from the Channel Tunnel yesterday and the first day of celebration at the confines of France. On Monday, 26 August, the Olympic Torch Relay — sponsored by Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne — headed inland in the hands of 400 relay runners. Two team relays showcasing para-sports, organised together with the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, set the tone for a day that brought us a bit closer to the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Northern France remained front and centre on the second day of the Paralympic Relay. The first torch lit up Arras and its Grand Place in Pas-de-Calais and went on to illuminate Amiens, the administrative centre of the Somme department, whose canals earned it the moniker "Little Venice of the North". The stage came to a close in Chambly, Oise, which was crowned the sportiest town in Picardy! Downtown Laon, in the Aisne department, also basked in the glow of the torch as locals congregated in Place Herriot.
Venturing further east, the Paralympic torch danced through the Marne department, lighting up Châlons-en-Champagne and its Parc du Jard. It then blazed a trail to the Henri Terré sports complex in Troyes, Aube, before shining a light on the Cours l'Abbé in Châtillon-sur-Seine, Côte-d'Or. Meanwhile, in the south-east, the torches roared to life in the famous Place Bellecour in Lyon.
The heart of France pulsed with Paralympic spirit as downtown Chartres glowed near its cathedral. In Vichy, locals revelled in the festivities on the shores of Lac d'Allier, while the Royal Château of Blois in Loir-et-Cher provided the backdrop for the next segment. Westward bound, the torch zipped past the Church of Saint Michael of the Lions in Limoges, danced along the banks of the Eure in Louviers and lit up the Port de Plaisance esplanade in Deauville, Calvados.
Two team relays put the spotlight on Para sport
A unique feature of the Paralympic Torch Relay, several team relays organised jointly with the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF) are punctuating the four-day relay. Today in Chambly, the first team relay paid tribute to the Paralympic movement volunteers. Led by the mother-daughter duo Elisabeth and Melissa Genix Ollier, this group showcased the dedication of charismatic volunteers from Paralympic federations. Elisabeth and Melissa's story is one of triumph over adversity: together, they have pedalled 300 km on a tandem bicycle for the OVE charity, raising awareness about caregivers who support those with illnesses or diminished autonomy. Their journey mirrors Melissa's own battle with epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis.
Vichy played host to another team relay, shining a spotlight on game-changers and innovators in Para sport. Leading the charge was Pierre-Emmanuel Baruch, the captain of this relay and director of DALHIR, a charity that works to improve social integration for vulnerable children and adults. Alongside him were Patrice Faucogney, the mastermind behind all-terrain wheelchairs that boost mobility and independence; Hicham Ousseni, the creator of an inclusive sports and nutrition app tailoring personalised programs to specific conditions; and Laure Gabin, the designer of adaptive skis that open up the world of snow sports to people with reduced mobility.
All the information about the Paralympic Torch Relay
403 torchbearers take the torch to every corner of France
Among them, a constellation of sport and Para sport icons contributed to the building anticipation for the Games.
The Olympic track cycling champion Philippe Ermenault (a gold medallist in Atlanta 1996) carried the torch in Amiens, while the Tokyo 2020 judo silver medallist Madeleine Malonga took on the honour in Chambly. Lyon saw the participation of two Paralympic greats: the eight-time Para athletics champion (in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres between 2004 and 2012) Assia El Hannouni and the 24-time French Para archery champion Karl Vergnaud. Guy Tisserant, a four-time Paralympic table tennis gold medallist and world number one from 1992 to 1998, bore the torch in Vichy. Limoges welcomed Gérard Masson, a former table tennis champion and president of the French Disabled Sports Federation (2007 to April 2017) and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (2009 to 2013), alongside the basketball legend Richard Dacoury, whose four European Cups place him among the most decorated players in history. The proceedings of the day wrapped up with Vincent Mignon, a two-time Paralympic cycling medallist in Atlanta 1996, in Troyes, while the 2023 Normandy heptathlon champion Charlène Sauval had the honour of lighting the cauldron in Louviers.
As the day concluded, several of the 12 Cauldrons were lit by dedicated people who have made helping others their main goal. In Chambly, the former primary school teacher Nicole Jesupret, a tireless advocate for local youth, did the honours, while Alexis Guinet, a professional firefighter who leads a charity supporting war-wounded through sport, lit up Laon. The Cauldron in Lyon was ignited by Michel Sorine, the pioneer of France's first gym dedicated to people with motor disabilities. Vichy's moment came courtesy of Nadège Debka, a disability liaison at the Club Nautique de Vichy and member of Handisport Vichy Ville Agglomération. Last but not least, Marilyn Ferrier, a sports educator specialising in para-sport and adaptive sport training, brought the day to a blazing close.
The cauldron lighting ceremonies provided a platform to highlight various Para sports, including Jean-Jacques Jaugin, a Para archer, in Chartres; Edmige Guegon, an athlete and president of the Châtillon-sur-Seine athletics club, in her home town; Lucie Marot, a Boccia practitioner, in Châlons-en-Champagne; and Romain Massinon, an up-and-coming judoka, in Limoges. Pierre Santos, the "grandfather" of Avant-Garde-Deauvillaise, lit the cauldron in Deauville. His passion for table tennis burns as bright as ever as he continues to oversee training sessions at the club.
Tomorrow, the Olympic torches will burn in 21 towns and cities in Île-de-France for the second-last day of the relay. It will be a momentous occasion and draw to a close with a concert held at Prisme in Bobigny by Coca-Cola, one of the two partners of the Torch Relay.