You have a second chance to view the Olympics 2024 icons. The Paralympics torch relay begins its journey August 25 under the English Channel on its way to Paris. On August 28, the iconic torch and the flying cauldron for the Olympic flame will be back in action. This marks the opening of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The Fun Continues
If you missed the action in the first Olympics round, follow the Paralympics torch route. You can find it on either the City of Paris website or the Paralympics website. Visit Tuileries garden for a new round of evening ascensions from August 28 until September 7. You can watch the Games on large screens in various arrondissements. The lantern will be on show in front of the cauldron in Tuileries. For the closing of the Paris Olympics 2024, Léon Marchand, five gold medals in swimming, lifted the gold lantern. This action extinguished the electric LED and vapor “flame” of the Olympic cauldron.
Competition for the design
Mathieu Lehannuer’s design team won the competition to develop the icons. One has exceeded expectations in popularity; the hot air balloon cauldron in Tuileries Garden. Mathieu Lennhauer and his team were encouraged to take part in December 2022. They entered the competition to develop the required iconic objects. Mathieu Lennhauer and his team entered the competition to develop the required iconic objects. No restrictions were in place for the design. He and his team had free rein for the design of the Olympics torch and the cauldron. They had one month to come up with a proposal.
Around January 2023, he received the call that he and his design firm had been chosen. Now they had to develop designs. Next, they needed to decide on the manufacturing process. They also had to find a way for the flame to stay lit. Additionally, they had to make it light enough for the 11,000 torchbearers on this list.
In a Press briefing video, Mr. Lennhauer explains the inspiration for the design features. He highlights equality. This is the first time in Olympic history there is parity with 50% men and women. The design explanations include the use of water in both the torch design and the cauldron. Using a flying cauldron is a reminder. The Montgolfier brothers set off the first unmanned hot-air balloon in Tuileries Garden in 1783.
You can listen to his entire story in English or in French. The briefing was held at the Paris Media Center briefing in August 2024.
What do the Olympics Torch and cauldron have in common? Melted scrap metal. As part of the aim to halve the carbon footprint of the games, melted metal scraps were used. These scraps were used to construct the torch and the cauldron. The special hue comes from an idea: What color do you get when you blend the Olympic medals? Especially when the hue has to stay brilliant in any kind of weather, at sunrise and sunset without going grey. The icons were tested already for the Paris Olympics 2024 and proven successful.
Paralympics Journey of the Torch
The Paralympics torch relay, which was lit August 24, begins its journey from Stoke Mandeville, England August 25. This is contrary to the Olympics relay, which begins in Greece. Stoke Mandeville is the birthplace of the Paralympics. The relay begins midway through the Euro Channel. The 24 British torchbearers will relay the torch to 24 French torchbearers. In total, 1,200 torchbearers will take part in the Paralympics relay throughout the Hexagon.
This will be the first time the Paralympics are held in France. The founder of the Games is Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann. “He was the medical pioneer who proved that disabled sport be as competitive and exciting as non-disabled sport.”
The Surprise Popularity of the Cauldron
Free, timed tickets to visit during the Olympics sold out quickly. This was due to the popularity of visiting the cauldron in Tuileries Garden. There was another way I found out. If the same thing happens for the Paralympics, here is what to do: Go online between 7:30 and 9:00 am. Timed tickets are made available for a same day visit. The times are arbitrary. I announced to friends at once on WhatsApp that tickets were open. It was already too late for that day. The city of Paris writes that at least 200,000 people booked tickets to view the vasque/cauldron in the Tuileries Garden. Find more statistics for the Olympics period on the Ville de Paris webpage.
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Viewing the Cauldron Rise
The cauldron in the Tuileries Garden will rise and shine in the night sky August 28. Based on internet images good views abound. The City of Paris proposes five locations (translate in your browser) for good viewing. It will rise sixty meters into the sky.
I can confirm that one of City Hall’s suggestions is super: Rue d’Alger, perpendicular to Rue de Rivoli. Rue d’Alger provides a great view as it rises over the trees of the Tuileries Garden. Some windy nights it travels back and forth sideways.