The Olympic flame will officially reach the French mainland at the end of the day at a ceremony planned for the Old Port. After a 12-day voyage across the Mediterranean from Greece, the three-masted Belem carried the flame, symbolising the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

With 79 days to go before the start of the Games, and one hundred years after the last Olympic Games in Paris, Marseille will be the scene of the reception of the flame and the lighting of the first Olympic cauldron, at around 7.45pm, with an expected turnout of some 150,000 people in the Vieux-Port.

The arrival will be reminiscent of the excitement of the Route du Rhum, with the majestic Belem making several round trips past the calanques in a picturesque setting. At the end of the day, a flotilla of boats will accompany the Belem to the Old Port, where it will drop anchor at around 7pm.

The rest of the event promises to be a foretaste of the torch relay, with Florent Manaudou and other torchbearers carrying the flame to the cauldron. The festivities will continue with a free concert by Marseille artists Soprano and Alonzo. The city of Marseille has mobilised for this event, with a vast clean-up operation that has been in preparation for several days.

After this, the long journey begins. The 10,000 torchbearers will each cover 200 metres at an average speed of 4.5 km/h, according to the organisers’ estimates. The relay will pass through 64 départements, with three or four cities.