The Olympic flame does not burn over Paris
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris is a spectacle that sparks wonder and controversy. The climax is the arrival of the Olympic flame. This time, however, what awaits at the end of the long torch relay is an illusion.
The Olympic Games are the apex of sport, not just about results, but also about politics, vast sums of money, and grand imagery. The opening ceremonies are lavish shows designed to impress the world. The first major Olympic moment and the culmination of every grand opening is the arrival of the flame, sent on its journey from historic Olympia and meant to shine brightly in the host city.
In France, for the Paris Games, they put on a spectacular opening ceremony that sparked both awe and outrage. And the moment when the flame arrived for the Games was unique. The Olympic fire in 2024 is an illusion.
In 1996, a visibly moved and already Parkinson's-stricken Muhammad Ali captivated the world when he lit the Olympic flame high above Atlanta. Four years earlier, Spanish archer Antonio Rebollo amazed when his arrow became the torch, soaring through the night sky of Barcelona to ignite the great flame. Unforgettable was when sprinter Cathy Freeman in Sydney, in front of over 100,000 people, made a fire cauldron glow from a water tank. These are iconic moments.
Illusion of Fire
Since 1936, since the Nazi Games in Berlin, it's always been the same ritual: The flame is brought from historic Olympia to the host city via numerous stages - over water, through the air, over land - and watches over the competition venues for the duration of the Games. But the French did not let a fire rise over Paris; they only let a spectacular illusion of fire take its place. The Olympic flame, at least the widely visible symbol of the Games, is made of water and light in 2024.
The bright Olympic light that shines at night in a ring of flames under a balloon 60 meters high over Paris is, in reality, a "powerful light beam" projected onto a "water cloud". 40 powerful LED spotlights of the latest generation are in use, with about three cubic meters of water evaporated in an hour, nebulized by 200 high-pressure nozzles.
According to the organizers, the power for the installation comes entirely from renewable energy sources. The "real" Olympic flame stands for the duration of the Games at the feet of the electrical beacon, in a container right next to the balloon. Both - the old and the new light of the Olympic Games - can be visited for free by tens of thousands of people in the Tuileries during the day.
"This absolutely unique fire bowl embodies all the spirit I wanted to give to the Olympic and Paralympic objects," describes Matthieu Lehanneur the construction he designed. "Light, magical, and unifying, it will be a beacon at night and a sun within reach during the day. The fire that burns in it will be made of light and water, like a cool oasis in the heart of summer."
For traditionalists and romantics, it may be a harsh message, but when legendary athletes Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner seemingly ignited the Olympic flame and sent it into the Parisian night sky, they were actually "just" pressing a button that started the lights and high-pressure jets. State-owned energy provider Électricité de France (EDF) hailed the lighting of the flame as an "electrical revolution," saying that creativity and innovation had made it possible to develop a flame without burning fossil fuels, a flame of water and light.
The flight of the electrical flame, hovering over the Tuileries at night, is also a nod to the aviation history of the place: in 1783, the first manned flight in history took place in Paris. Scientist Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes rose into the air based on the research of the Montgolfier brothers - where a hot air balloon now stands. A hundred years after the first hot air balloon adventure, in 1878, French engineer Henri Giffard invented the captive balloon in the Tuileries, a combination of a gas balloon and a steam winch, which was a resounding success.
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris will be the center of global attention, with the opening ceremony promising a spectacle that echoes both awe and controversy. contrarily, the arrival of the Olympic flame is revealed to be an illusion, a unique spectacle of light and water.
In contrast to traditional flame-lit arrivals, the Olympic flame for the 2024 Games will be a "powerful light beam" projected onto a water cloud, a testament to innovation and sustainability.
