French excitedly welcome the Summer Olympic flame after 100 years

Olympic champion Florent Manaudou was chosen to carry the torch from the three-masted ship Belem to the mainland. Earlier, on April 16, the 2024 Olympic torch was lit in Greece - the home of the Olympics - and was officially handed over to France at the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Summer Olympics were held in 1896. The Belem left Athens on April 27, making a 12-day journey to the port city of Marseille. As the ship entered the port, hundreds of small boats were sent to escort it. Planes from the Patrouille de France demonstration team flew overhead to form the Olympic rings before returning to paint the red, white and blue of the French flag. Fireworks lit up the sky over Marseille as the Belem docked.

Organisers hope the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in France will create an atmosphere of excitement to welcome the Summer Olympics back to France after a full 100 years. To ensure maximum security for this opening event, French authorities have mobilized 6,000 security personnel to guard the event as the country is placed on the highest level of terror alert.

The event kicks off a 12,000km torch relay across France and its far-flung overseas territories. The torch relay, which began on May 9, will involve more than 10,000 people, taking the flame through more than 450 towns and cities across France, including iconic sites such as Mont-Saint-Michel and the D-Day beaches in Normandy, before passing the Palace of Versailles in Paris. The route will also be heavily guarded. The Olympic torch will be lit at the opening ceremony on the Seine on July 26.

The 2024 Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, followed by the 2024 Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.