The Olympic Torch comes ashore on Martinique!
After calling at Guadeloupe, the Maxi Banque Populaire XI set sail for Martinique this yesterday morning. Aboard were a crew of athletes from overseas France and Tony Estanguet, the President of Paris 2024, with the French skippers Armel Le Cleac'h and Sébastien Josse again at the helm. The swimmer Coralie Balmy, a bronze medallist in London 2012, lit the celebration cauldron in Fort-de-France to mark the arrival of the Olympic torch at the "Island of Flowers".
From Guadeloupe to Martinique
Paris 2024 has teamed up with the Partners of the Olympic Torch Relay —Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne— to reach out to French people around the globe through the Ocean Relay. Between 7 and 15 June, the Olympic torch crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Brest to Pointe-à-Pitre on board the Ultim Banque Populaire.
Marine Lorphelin, Marie-José Pérec, Alexis Michalik and Hugo Roellinger experienced the adventure of a lifetime under the command of Armel Le Cléac'h, a colossus of ocean racing and world record holder for the fastest circumnavigation by a single-handed sailor on a monohull, working together with the famous French navigator Sébastien Josse. After a stage of the Torch Relay in which the jaw-dropping landscapes of Guadeloupe took centre stage, the Olympic torch sailed to Martinique yesterday morning.
A second crew of athletes from overseas France cruise from Guadeloupe to Martinique to celebrate their past, present and future achievements
Armel Le Cleac'h and Sébastien Josse were once again at the helm of the voyage of the Ultim Banque Populaire between Guadeloupe and Martinique, in command of a crew made up of athletes from overseas France and a distinguished guest, Tony Estanguet, who serves as the President of Paris 2024 and is also a Sponsor of the ship. This segment of the Ocean Relay shone a light on the athletes from overseas France who have put —and will continue to put— French sport on the map: Laura Flessel, a five-time Olympic medallist, including two gold medals in Atlanta 1996; Coralie Balmy, a four-time European champion in freestyle swimming, three-time Olympian and bronze medallist in London 2012; Kéni Pipérol-Dampied, who completed the 2022 Route du Rhum on a Class40 sailboat that he made with his own hands using 100% environmentally friendly materials; and Thomas Debierre, an ISA world junior champion in surfing who was also the junior nations world champion in 2016 and French junior champion in 2018.
Athletes from overseas France have never failed to bring French fans together through the power of the collective emotions of sport
From Maurice Carlton and Marie-José Pérec to Lilian Thuram, Laura Flessel, Teddy Riner, Amandine Buchard and more, they have all etched their names in the history of French sport. From track and field to fencing, from judo to football and from swimming to gymnastics, French sport owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the overseas territories. These are the lands where Roger Bambuck, Jean-Marc Mormeck, Malia Metella, Medhi Metella, Jackson Richardson, Daniel Narcisse and Elvire Teza were born and bred, as were all the overseas champions who make France jump for joy and fill it with pride.
An extraordinary cauldron lighting ceremony to mark the arrival of the Olympic torch at Martinique
Once the Ultim Banque Populaire had docked in Fort-de-France, the crew headed to Le Malecon, the celebration venue for today's Torch Relay stage. Coraly Balmy lit the cauldron to mark the historic arrival of the Olympic torch at the island. It was a powerful moment for Martinique, which is hosting the Olympic torch for the first time in history!
Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024:
"What a privilege it was to live this exceptional moment alongside this legendary crew aboard the Maxi Banque Populaire! Neither I nor our four great champions had ever done something like this before. These days in the Antilles are a golden opportunity to gauge the magnitude of local support for our project. It's a real shot in the arm.
Ever since the Paris 2024 project got off the ground, we've strived to rally all our people and territories behind this event like no other. It was a stirring experience to see the warm welcome that the Relay got from locals on the roads of Guadeloupe and Martinique, as it was following the Ocean Relay from afar as it visited French Guiana, Réunion and French Polynesia earlier this week. Our overseas territories, which contribute to the wealth and diversity of our national territory, are a real hotbed of champions and medallists. Seeing the Torch Relay Forerunners shine a light on them today was a powerful symbol!"*
Today, the entire island will bask in the glow of the Olympic torch. From Mount Pelée and the tombolo of Sainte-Marie to the streets of Saint-Pierre and Fort-de-France, the Olympic torch will illuminate the most iconic landmarks of Martinique.