The Olympic torch will finally enter France when it reaches the southern seaport of Marseille on Wednesday. And it’s already been quite a journey.
After being lit by the sun’s rays on April 16 in Ancient Olympia, the torch was carried around Greece before leaving Athens aboard a three-mast ship named Belem, headed for Marseille.
The Belem was first used in 1896, the same year the modern Olympics came back. It will be accompanied by more than 1,000 boats as it parades around the Bay of Marseille, before arriving at the Vieux-Port, or Old Port, and docking on a pontoon resembling an athletics tracks.
Torch bearers will carry the flame across Marseille the next day, the last stretch running on the roof of the famed Stade Vélodrome, home to Marseille’s passionate soccer fans.
After leaving Marseille, a vast relay route will be undertaken before the torch odyssey ends on July 27 in Paris.
Trump's strategist push AI to help conservatives, all you need to know
Video shows Robert De Niro rehearsing for a Netflix series, not yelling at anti
Arizona's Democratic leaders make final push to repeal 19th century abortion ban
China's smartphone shipments reach 69.3 mln units in Q1
NATO chief chides allies for not being quicker to help Ukraine
Expanding clergy sexual abuse probe targets New Orleans Catholic church leaders
Indonesia’s Ruang volcano spews more hot clouds after eruption forces closure of schools, airports
Chicago Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso out at least a month with a shoulder injury
An Alabama Senate committee votes to reverse course, fund summer food program for low
How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 5/6/2024
Court case over fatal car crash raises issues of mental health and criminal liability