Paris 2024The Torch

IN 2024, THE TORCH CONNECTED CELEBRATIONS THROUGHOUT FRANCE

Lit in accordance with ancient traditions by the rays of the sun in Olympia, Greece, the Olympic flame arrived in France after crossing the Mediterranean Sea.  

In Marseille, on 8 May 2024, that same flame opened the celebrations for Paris 2024 and marked the start of an uninterrupted four-month celebration throughout France, from the Olympic Torch Relay to the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games.

The Olympic Torch Relay culminated on 26 July 2024 with the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. After an unforgettable parade of athletes along the Seine, spectators and television audiences witnessed the final torchbearers (Marie-José Perec & Teddy Riner) igniting the cauldron to officially open the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

After two weeks of athletic achievements and celebrations at the Games, the Olympic flame was extinguished, but the torch endured.

A unifier of Olympism and Paralympism, the torch was lit again in Stoke Mandeville, a symbolic location of the Paralympic Games. 1,000 torchbearers carried a new flame as part of the Relay, which ignited the cauldron of the Paralympic Games during the Opening Ceremony on 28 August 2024. The celebrations of the Games continued for a further two weeks of intense competition until the Closing Ceremony brought the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games to an end on 8 September 2024.  

Once the Paralympic flame was extinguished, the torch forever remained the symbolic and iconic object of the Paris 2024 Games.

The DESIGN OF THE PARIS 2024 GAMES TORCH 

A famous object of the Games, the torch embodies the identity of each edition through its shape, colour and inspirations. The Paris 2024 torch is a piece of art in its own right; one that was designed to reflect the image of these Games. To create it, Paris 2024 chose to work with French designer Mathieu Lehanneur.

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games torch is distinguishable primarily by its colour, which is both unique and radiant. To reflect the Games, designer Mathieu Lehanneur drew inspiration from three themes of Paris 2024: Equality, Water, and Peacefulness.

Equality

From the bidding phase through to the organization of the Games, equality was a driving force behind the Paris 2024 project. Equality means putting the same ambition into organizing the Paralympic Games as the Olympic Games. As part of this philosophy, the Olympic and Paralympic Games shared the same emblem, mascots, and torch design.

The equality of the Paris 2024 project was also reflected in the strong commitment to parity in the Olympic Games: for the first time in the history of the Games, the same number of male and female athletes took part in the competitions.

The torch encapsulates this achievement through its perfectly symmetrical design.

Water

Water held a special place at the Paris 2024 Games. The torch traveled across the Mediterranean Sea aboard the Belem, and undertook a voyage across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans in the “Relais des Océans” to reach six overseas territories: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Réunion. 

Water is at the heart of the city of Paris itself; no one could imagine the City of Light without the Seine, and Paris 2024 could not organize the Games without the famous river playing a pivotal role. As the stage for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, the natural venue for Olympic and Paralympic events, and the link between Paris and the Seine-Saint-Denis département, the Seine was the backbone of the Paris 2024 Games.

Water inspired the wave, three-dimensional, and vibration effects on the torch, which reproduces the ripples and movements of water, in addition to the reflections of light on its surface. 

Peacefulness

The Olympic and Paralympic Games have been a symbol of peace since antiquity when the Olympic flame carried a message of unity to people and nations — a message that remains to this day. The legacy of a tradition thousands of years old, the flame symbolized the ideal of the Olympic truce.

Reflecting this desire for peace, the torch, with its curves and rounded lines, was suffused with gentleness. Pure in form, almost elemental, the design of the torch conveyed generosity and solidarity.

A total of 2,000 torches were produced by world steel leader ArcelorMittal creating unforgettable symbols of the Paris 2024 Games.

The Olympic and Paralympic torches in detail

BUILDING THE TORCH

The Paris 2024 torch was manufactured by ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel company and a Paris 2024 Official Partner. In total, 2,000 torches were produced by ArcelorMittal, five times less than what was used at previous Games.

Thanks to its industry expertise and power of innovation, ArcelorMittal also contributed to reducing the carbon footprint of the torch’s construction. To build the torch for the Paris 2024 Games, ArcelorMittal mobilized its global R&D department and three of its French sites to represent the expertise of its workforce. These sites were carefully selected for their ability to produce steel with a reduced carbon footprint while also meeting the design requirements of the torch.