The Olympic flame is not burning over Paris
The Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics is a spectacle that sparks awe 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 high mass of sport, it's not just about results, it's also always about politics, of course about a lot of money - and about big pictures. The opening ceremonies are shows full of pomp, staged to impress the world. The first big Olympic moment and simultaneously the finale of every grand opening is the arrival of the flame, which was sent on its journey from the historic Olympia and is now supposed to shine brightly in the host city.
In France, on the occasion of the Paris Games, they put on a great opening show that sparked both awe and controversy. And the moment when the flame arrived for the Games is unique. The Olympic Fire in 2024 is an illusion.
In 1996, a visibly moved and already heavily affected by his Parkinson's disease Muhammad Ali touched the world when he lit the Olympic Flame high above Atlanta. Four years earlier, the Spanish archer Antonio Rebollo caused astonishment when his arrow became the torch and flew high into the night sky of Barcelona to the bowl, where it ignited the great fire. Unforgettable when the sprinter Cathy Freeman in 2000 in Sydney made a fire basin shine before over 100,000 people from a pool of water. They are iconic moments.
Illusion of a Fire
Since 1936, since the Nazi Games in Berlin, it has always been the same ritual: The fire is brought from the historic Olympia to the venue over numerous stages - over water, through the air, over land - where it then watches over the competition venues for the duration of the Games. The French, however, did not let a fire rise over Paris, but only the spectacular illusion of a fire. The Olympic Fire, at least the widely visible symbol of the Games, consists of water and light in 2024.
The brightly shining Olympic light, which shines at night in a flame ring under a balloon at a height of 60 meters 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, in one hour at night about three cubic meters of water are evaporated, which are nebulized by 200 high-pressure nozzles.
According to the organizers, the power for the installation comes entirely from renewable energy sources. The "real" Olympic Fire stands for the duration of the Games at the feet of the electric lighthouse, in a container right next to the balloon. During the day, both - the old and the new light of the Olympic Games - can be visited for free by tens of thousands in the Tuileries.
"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 consist of light and water, like a cool oasis in the heart of summer".
For traditionalists and romantics, this might be a tough pill to swallow, but when legendary athletes Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner seemingly lit the Olympic flame and sent it soaring into the Parisian night sky, they were essentially just pressing a button that triggered lights and high-pressure jets. State-owned energy provider Électricité de France (EDF) hailed the flame's extinction as an "electrical revolution," claiming 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 site: in 1783, the first manned flight in history took place in Paris. Scientist Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes took to the skies based on the research of the Montgolfier brothers - the spot where a hot air balloon now stands. A hundred years after that first hot air balloon adventure, in 1878, French engineer Henri Giffard invented the tethered balloon in the Tuileries, a combination of a gas balloon and a steam winch that proved to be a resounding success.
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris promise to be a spectacle unlike any other, with an unique take on the traditional Olympic Flame. Instead of a physical fire, the French have chosen to create an illusion of a fire, using powerful lights and water jets.
During the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games 2024, legendary athletes Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner will press a button, triggering a stunning display of lights and water, seemingly lighting the Olympic Flame and sending it soaring into the Parisian night sky.
