A sign. Less than 200 days before an opening ceremony where the security issue overshadows everything else, the OCOG Paris 2024 is seeking to change the subject. With one idea, no more stupid than any other: talking about the flame. Put everything else aside, therefore – the number of spectators, plans B and C, the uncertainty of transport – to return to the essential: the spirit of the Games.
Last week, Paris 2024 launched a first salvo by revealing the identity of the captains of the collective relays, one of its new ideas. An appetizer, nice but still not very substantial. Monday January 15, second stage of the rocket: the almost complete list of the torch bearers, these 11.000 torchbearers – renamed “ scouts » by the COJO – invited from spring onwards to write in their stride the long journey of the torch.
There will be 11.000 of them taking turns along the route (10.000 for the Olympic Games, a thousand for the Paralympics). But only 80% of them learned the news of their selection on Monday. The others, a little over 2, will be known later, by April for the majority of them. The scouts surprises », renowned athletes or personalities, will be kept secret until the last moment. The last bearer of the flame, called to light the cauldron on Friday July 26 during the opening ceremony, is obviously one of them.
The figures announced by the COJO suggest it: the selection of scouts seems to have avoided errors of taste. Equal sharing between men and women, a balanced presence of all age groups, torchbearers from all French departments.
Names ? Surprise, the COJO doesn’t give any. Just first names, drawn here and there from the beautiful stories of his selection, all members of the Paris 2024 Club. Benjamin, a 43-year-old musician who crossed France by bike despite his paraplegia. Hayet, a 21-year-old volunteer involved in discovering sport in priority neighborhoods. Marc, 70 years old and still the same passion for sport and extreme challenges. Marie, 37 years old, who works daily against chronic illnesses and with autistic children. Ranitea, 19 years old, a Polynesian student involved in the development of women's sports.
Le Parisien revealed other, more well-known ones. Sarah Ourahmoune, Olympic boxing vice-champion at the Rio 2016 Games. Christian Karembeu, world football champion with the Blues in 1998. Ladji Doucouré, world champion in the 110m hurdles and 4x100m in 2005 in Helsinki. Diandra Tchatchouang, bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Games with the French women's basketball team.
Another selection, also expected: Charles Coste, 100 years old, the oldest French Olympic champion, gold medalist in the team pursuit in track cycling at the London Games in 1948.
Two of the torch relay’s official sponsors, Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne, also announced a handful of names. Let us remember, for the first, the former rugby international Maxime Médard and the mountaineer Christine Janin, first French woman to the summit of Everest in 1990. For the second, the actor Jean-Pascal Zadi, the starred chef Alexandre Mazzia, international rugby player Anthony Jelonch.
The COJO explains it: the selection of the 11.000 scouts was not done in one day. From June 1 to October 15, 2023, it mobilized the official sponsors of the relay (Caisse d'Epargne, Banque Populaire and Coca-Cola), the partners of the COJO, the sports movement, and the territories crossed.
More than 100.000 applications and/or nominations were collected: 30 nominations for the Paris 000 Club campaign, 2024 candidates for the Coca-Cola campaign, 15 candidates for the Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne campaigns.
