2024 Olympics: Zadi, Flessel, Papin... We know a large number of the Olympic flame bearers

Personalities, such as the actor Jean-Pascal Zadi, the director Alice Diop or the footballer Jean-Pierre Papin, but also committed anonymous people: the names of most of the 10,000 bearers who will take part in the Olympic torch relay were revealed on Monday . All these torchbearers will hold the Olympic torch for approximately 4 minutes over a distance of 200 meters on a route around France, going from Marseille on May 8 to Paris on the day of the opening ceremony of the Games, July 26. Revealed at the last moment, the name of the last torchbearer still remains shrouded in mystery, even if that of Marie-José Perec, French Olympic icon, is frequently cited.

The relay route, in 64 territories (including five overseas) which were willing to pay 150,000 euros (excluding taxes) to see the flame pass through their territory, has been known since the summer of 2023. The names of some of the torchbearers had have also already been revealed, such as those of the astronaut Thomas Pesquet, the actor Djamel Debbouze, the swimmer Camille Lacourt, or even the gymnast Emilie Le Pennec... The swimmers Laure and Florent Manadou are for their part "captains" of the 'operation. Innovation for these Olympics, there will also be “collective relays”, led by sports federations. A group of 24 athletes around a flame bearer will provide entertainment.

The carriers were selected for 30% of them by the organizing committee of the Olympic Games and the sports movement, the sponsors of the torch relay (Coca-Cola and Banques Populaires-Caisses d'Epargne) and the other partners of the JO by also choosing 30% each. The last 10% were selected by the territories hosting the relay. According to the rules of the International Olympic Committee, current elected officials or religious figures cannot carry the flame.

Among the carriers revealed on Monday, the fencer and former French Minister of Sports Laura Flessel, the boxing champion Sarah Ourahmoune, the basketball player Gabby Williams, the former footballer Jean-Pierre Papin and Moussa Magassa, organizer of a “Cup of Nations of the 18th century” in the Goutte d’Or district of Paris. From its quota, the department of Seine-Saint-Denis selected people from its territory, such as the director Alice Diop, Oumar Diemé, a former Senegalese rifleman, or Georges Honigman, president of the Noisy volleyball club. -le-Grand since 1973.