For the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Paris 2024 Torch Relay will be carried by teams to symbolise the energy of sport and teamwork.
The Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will be remembered for many reasons. From the eagerly awaited Opening Ceremony, the first to be held outside a closed stadium and attended by the largest crowd in history, to the formation of teams of 24 individuals who will carry the torch in both the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays.
Each team will be made up of 24 people, including champions, athletes, volunteers, referees, coaches, and many others associated with the 34 Olympic and Paralympic Federations whose sports are part of the Summer Games programme, as well as the Tahiti Surfing Federation (which will host the surfing events). A total of 69 team relays will take place during the Olympic Torch Relay. Each day of the Torch Relay will feature one or two team relays representing the people who participate in and live for sport. It also aims to raise awareness of Paralympic sport.
For the Paralympic Torch Relay, six teams will be organised with the support of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, each based on themes related to the Paralympic Movement.
During each Team Relay, the public will be invited to share moments of camaraderie, emotion, and sportsmanship, experiencing the values of sharing and teamwork that the world of sport and the Games cherish. The team relays of the Paris 2024 Torch Relay will take place in a number of spectacular locations.
Among the places and people taking part in the relays, Sisteron’s Rock will be the new stage for the Climbing Federation, the park of Compiègne Castle will be the perfect venue for the archers of the Archery Federation, and the streets of Troyes and Bagnolet will be the open-air dance floors. The fencing relay at Lascaux IV and the gold show at Guyancourt also promise to be remarkable.
Each team relay will take place in a spectacular location, such as Mount Saint-Michel for cycling. Omaha Beach will be the venue for the Equestrian Team Relay, while Les Sables-d’Olonne and Gruissan are ready to host the Sailing Team Relay. The Surfing Team Relay is expected to be spectacular, with the first team relay in Biarritz on the French Basque coast, a second in La Torche in Finistère de Bretagne, and a third organised by the Tahitian Surfing Federation on the Teahupo’o Beach in French Polynesia.
Team Relay Captains
The Paris 2024 Organising Committee has unveiled some of the team relay captains, including Guillaume Martin (winner of the mountain classification at the 2021 Vuelta a España), Manuéla Montebrun (bronze medallist in the hammer throw at Beijing 2008), Laura Flessel (double gold medallist in fencing at Atlanta 1996), Laurent Tillie (coach of the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist volleyball team and Charline Picon (Olympic champion in RS:X at Rio 2016).
Paralympic Torch Relay Teams:
-A “Paralympic Movement Volunteers” relay, made up of iconic Paralympic Federation volunteers.
-A “Young Para-athletes” relay, formed by rising stars from the French Paralympic team.
-Two “Paralympic athletes” relays to celebrate their sporting achievements.
-An “Innovative Actions” relay, highlighting individuals and organisations that propose and develop innovative actions, such as programmes implemented or supported by the CPSF (Impact 2024), which supports projects that use sport to generate social impact.
-An “Associations and carers” relay, made up of people who support people with disabilities in their environment and those who work in associations to develop their rights.
by Asia Hockey
