The Olympic torch arrived in Marseille on Wednesday evening, 79 days before the start of the Paris Olympics, after a spectacular maritime parade aboard the three-masted ship Belem.
Departing from Greece 12 days ago, Belem docked at the Old Port of the Phocaean city at 7:05 p.m. and was greeted by an estimated 150,000 people. The location, at the Lacydon cove, is where the Greeks established the city of Massalia 2,600 years ago.
The Olympic torch was waved at the front of the ship by former Olympic champion Florent Manaudou. Cheered on by an enthralled crowd, Manaudou then passed the flame to Paralympic athletics champion Nantenin Keita, before French rap superstar Jul lit the Olympic cauldron.
The Belem’s arrival was greeted with a rendition of ‘La Marseillaise,’ an eco-friendly firework display of “biodegradable recycled confetti,” French patrols flying overhead sketching the Olympic rings in the sky, and the 'tifos,' the dramatic banners of Olympique de Marseille fans.
“The arrival of the flame in Marseille is very symbolic, as this Phocaean city founded by the Greeks is a symbol of our friendship,” the Ambassador of Greece in France, Dimitrios Zevelakis, said, referring to the ancient belief that the Games offered a “chance for peace.”
Setting off from the north of the city along with an escort of a thousand vessels, the Belem had earlier spent the entire day sailing along its stunning coastline, from L’Estaque to Goudes, through the popular beaches of Les Catalans and Le Prado.
Over the next 79 days, the Olympic flame will tour the Hexagon before arriving in Paris for the Opening Ceremony on 26 July.
