Legendary athletes for an extraordinary team relay
The last two team relays of this great Olympic adventure will undoubtedly remain etched in our memories. The first took place in the heart of the Olympic Village, where legendary champions who thrilled the world with their performances passed the torch to each other under the admiring gaze of the new generation of Olympians. This emotional moment added a special touch to all the athletes qualified for the Paris 2024 Games!
Athletics legend Allyson Felix was among the many who took to the track alongside multiple title-winning Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini, Spanish basketball player Pau Gasol, Moroccan athletics icon Hicham El Guerrouj and badminton sensation Lin Dan. The list continued with American skier Lindsey Vonn, Britain’s most decorated Olympic medallist Chris Hoy, Brazilian skateboarding legend Leticia Bufoni, Swiss four-time world cycling champion Fabian Cancellara, Canadian Summer and Winter Olympic champion Oluseyi Smith and French national handball goalkeeper Cléopâtre Darleux.
They passed the torch alongside Chinese athletes Jingyu Wu (taekwondo) and Hong Zhang (speed skating), Polish mountain biker Maja Włoszczowska, Japanese fencer Yuki Ota, Argentinian sailor Santiago Lange, Kenyan rugby player Humphrey Kayange and Swedish skier Frida Hansdotter. Other torchbearers with equally distinguished careers included swimmer Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe’s first gold medallist, Masomah Ali Zada (Afghanistan) and Yiech Pur Biel (South Sudan) who competed as part of the Refugee Olympic Team, and Tonga’s Pita Taufatofua, who competed in taekwondo and cross-country skiing.
Second Team Relay Celebrates Builders
Later in the day, the “Builders’ Team” relay set the tone. This group included several members of Solideo, the Olympic works delivery company, embodying the ambitious development projects undertaken for Paris 2024 to meet the long-term needs of the host sites. Beyond their temporary use during the Games, these projects aim to improve the quality of life of residents by building, renovating and making local public facilities more accessible.
This relay brought together all the trades involved in the construction and renovation of the Olympic sites built by Solideo, gathered in the new Pleyel district. The torchbearers represented design offices, service providers, construction companies and security companies. In a symbolic gesture linking paper to reality, the two architects of the Olympic Aquatic Centre, Laure Meriaud and Cécilia Gross, passed the torch to the builders.
A hundred Forerunners tread the asphalt of the final straight
More than a hundred relay runners took part in the final leg, including champions who have left their mark on their sport. The public was able to applaud gold medallists Carolina Klüft (heptathlon) and Thierry Rey (judo), alongside fencer Anita Blaze, silver medallist in Tokyo, and Nathalie Péchalat, a figure skater who has since become president of the French Ice Sports Federation. Sergey Bubka, multiple world and Olympic pole vault champion and the first athlete to clear the 6-metre mark, was also there.
The crowd came out in force to see some exceptional personalities. American rap icon Snoop Dogg, who will be a consultant for NBC during the Olympics, attracted many spectators. The French contingent included artist MC Solaar, actor Jean-Pascal Zadi, chef Pierre Sang, comedian Booder and conductor Zahia Ziouani.
The Paris 2024 torch also passed through the hands of Olympic personalities who help bring the movement to life. At the Olympic Village, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, former UN Secretary-General and current Chair of the IOC Ethics Commission Ban Ki-moon, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, and IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair Emma Terho each took turns carrying the Olympic torch. At Club France, David Lappartient, President of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, shared his relay moment with the two flag bearers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Florent Manaudou and Mélina Robert-Michon, in an emotional scene.
As with every stage of the relay, unsung heroes with fascinating stories joined the celebration. Among them, Latifa Benkada, an active member of an association promoting women’s sports in Seine-Saint-Denis, Zohra Tadjene, who works to promote sports activities, particularly basketball, and Emma Lamont, a dedicated Red Cross volunteer.
The scene ended beautifully with a final relay sequence illuminating the Basilica of Saint Denis. Journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi lit the torch from the esplanade in front of the basilica before passing it to iconic French model and actress Laetitia Casta, who carried it through the nave. The segment ended in an unprecedented way with Pharrell Williams holding the torch from the roof of the building. The world-renowned musician, singer and hitmaker shines as Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Artistic Director.
This is how the final leg of the torch relay ended before the start of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony. Over the past three months, 10,000 people have carried the Olympic torch. The joy, emotion and fervour that animated each torchbearer created an incredible dynamic, making the Olympic spirit vibrate in the hearts of communities across France. From Mediterranean shores to mountaintops, from villages to urban centres, from rural areas to overseas territories, the torch relay has transcended differences and brought generations together.
The involvement of the Official Partners – Coca-Cola, Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne –, local authorities, government departments and all the Paris 2024 teams was a key element in the success of this unique adventure. The stage is now set for the world’s greatest sporting event. A century after the last edition held in Paris, the Games are returning to the capital. After a torch relay full of memories and emotions, the French are now eager to extend the festive spirit throughout this fortnight that promises to be like a lifetime!