Paris 2024 is moving forward. At your own pace, without trying to skip the steps. But without refraining from revealing his score before putting it to music.
Tuesday, September 21, the first COJO board of directors of the start of the school year debated two subjects which will not be materialized before... the year 2023: the flame route and the volunteer program. A simple taste, then, but detailed enough to guess what happens next.
The flame, first. Its journey will be revealed in the second quarter of 2023. But the organizing committee has already filled its notebook with the main principles of the project and even, surprise, the key figures. Unless the program changes, it should last around 80 days, pass through 700 cities and stop in 70 of them. Priority will be given to municipalities labeled Terre de Jeux Paris 2024.
The route plan should make it possible to reach 90% of the French population. With at least one incursion overseas, but also one or more possible detours into neighboring countries: Belgium (Brussels) to give it a European dimension, Italy to concretize the cooperation agreement signed at the Tokyo Games with the committee of organization of Milan-Cortina 2026.
In total, there will be around 12.000 torchbearers. Great first: the bearers of the flame can be individual or collective. The OCOG thus wishes to promote team spirit, by creating greater enthusiasm at the local level, particularly in sports clubs.
Another new feature: the two flame routes, Olympic and Paralympic, will be one, at least in their approach and design. The first “chapter” of the project, the Olympic Games relay, will integrate the Paralympic movement, including a significant number of relayers with disabilities. To follow the same logic, the Paralympic torch route will be open to able-bodied participants.
Finally, the torch relay will have its own partners. A habit. Its marketing program will have three levels. For the top of the pyramid, the sponsors of past editions (Coca-Cola and Toyota) will have priority.
Second file, the volunteer program. Not the thinnest of the pile. The recruitment platform will not be open before February 2023. But, as for the torch relay, the OCOG has finalized its figures. He estimates his needs at 45.000 volunteers, French for the bulk of the troops, but with the addition of around 3 to 5% foreign volunteers.
In detail, 31.500 volunteers will be assigned to the Olympic Games, then 13.500 will work during the Paralympic event. They must be at least 18 years old on January 1, 2024, speak French or English, be available for a minimum of 10 days, with one day off per week during their mission.
Successful candidates will not be accommodated or transported (except for public transport in the Paris region), let alone paid. Pure and hard volunteering. But they will be entitled to one meal per day and will be equipped by Decathlon, which entered the COJO private partnership program at the beginning of last summer.
In addition to the volunteer plan prepared by the organizing committee, Paris and certain host cities for sporting events will also recruit their volunteers. There should be at least 20.000 across the country.
Start of the recruitment phase in February 2023, with the ambition of bringing together at least 90.000 applicants (for 45.000 places). There's no hurry, then. But the COJO has already started the major maneuvers. An Olympic and Paralympic volunteering charter was published on Tuesday September 21, on the occasion of the first board of directors meeting for the start of the school year. In particular, it lists 75 generic missions offered to future applicants.
At the same time, the COJO explains that it is already working with the sports movement, including the federations of Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, to identify the best profiles. The same approach is initiated with the Terre de Jeux labeled cities and private partners. The Paris 2024 Club will also allow some of its members to apply before the official opening of the recruitment platform.
A national and international communication campaign is planned before the firing. It is announced for fall 2022.
