This was the biggest surprise of the opening ceremony. Where did the idea come from in Paris?

This was the biggest surprise of the opening ceremony. Where did the idea come from in Paris?

The opening ceremony of the Paris Games took place on Friday evening. The big surprise was the way they lit not a flame, but… an Olympic balloon!

It must be admitted that the French did not disappoint with their ingenuity regarding the opening day of the Olympic Games. The journey along the Seine, instead of the typical stadium “session”, was something completely new.

Paris 2024: Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner light the Olympic balloon

Even the pouring rain, which certainly made it a bit more difficult to implement all the plans made by the organizers of such a large event, did not interfere. Despite the weather conditions, in completely different, outside-stadium realities, practically everything that was planned was achieved.

The biggest question mark was who would light the Olympic flame. Traditionally, this was kept a closely guarded secret.

The final phase of the Olympic relay included: Jean-Francois Lamour (fencing), Felicia Ballanger (track cycling), Florian Rousseau (track cycling), Emilie Le Pennec (artistic gymnastics), David Douillet (judo), Clarisse Agbegnenou (judo), Alain Bernard (swimming), Laure Manaudou (swimming), Renaud Lavillenie (athletics), Laura Flessel (fencing) and Charles Coste (cycling). The scene of passing the torch to Coste, who is the Olympic champion from 1948 (London Games), was moving. This outstanding athlete is an absolute legend, he is now 100 years old.

At the end of the relay were three-time Olympic champions: former athlete Marie-Jose Perec (gold medalist from Barcelona and two-time champion from Atlanta) and judoka Teddy Riner (champion from London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo). This duo had the honor of lighting not the flame itself, but the balloon that replaced the legendary Olympic symbol.

Where did the idea for this symbolism of the Olympic torch come from?

Why did the French choose the symbol of a balloon, as a symbolic but so important for the meaning of the history of Olympism, the torch? This results from the beautiful traditions of France associated with ballooning. It was the French who were the first to successfully attempt to fly a balloon, first without a crew, and then with people.

Interestingly, on September 19, 1783, the first manned flight took place in Versailles. Brothers Joseph and Jacques Etienne Montgolfier, together with physicist Ami Armand, built a hot air balloon. And from November of the same year, attempts to repeat the balloon success in other countries began. So the symbol of France, fully understandable, also turned out to be an idea for a unique Olympic torch, hanging over the panorama of beautiful Paris.

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