The Olympic flame reached Marseille, just outside the Old Port, amid tight security on Wednesday, 79 days before the Paris 2024 Games Opening Ceremony. One man who's been preparing for today for a while is designer Mathieu Lehanneur.  He is the mastermind behind the torch itself and the cauldrons that will be lit on its route.

Marseille

The Olympic flame made its way to Marseille, located just outside the Old Port, under extensive security measures. This event marks a significant milestone, occurring 79 days prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games. Central to the preparations for this occasion was designer Mathieu Lehanneur, the creative mind behind both the torch and the cauldrons used in the Olympic torch relay.

The torch relay cauldron, a key element in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, measures 1.35 meters in width and weighs approximately 90 kilograms, crafted from steel. In a tradition that echoes the spirit of the Olympics, the last relay runner of each day ignites a cauldron in a French stopover city, symbolizing a journey towards the grand Opening Ceremony. These cauldrons, described by Lehanneur as chapters leading to the ceremonial commencement, aim to gather communities in anticipation and celebration.

Mathieu Lehanneur, recognized for his artistic contribution to the Paris 2024 Olympics, designed the torch and cauldrons with Paris and the river Seine in mind. The Seine not only serves as the backdrop for the Opening Ceremony but also links the various Olympic venues. Lehanneur's design incorporates a color scheme that resembles the amalgamation of gold, silver, and bronze medals, resulting in a unique pale gold hue. The design process, including the initial sketches of the cauldron and torch, took place in Lehanneur's studio, with the cauldron taking a year of work to finalize.

The creation of the cauldrons presented an aesthetic and technical challenge, particularly in integrating gas tubes essential for the lighting mechanism. With 20 examples produced by ArcelorMittal, a leading steel manufacturer, a comprehensive series of tests were conducted to ensure smooth ignition and an optimal flame. Following the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Games, several cauldrons and torches will be preserved in museums as lasting icons of the event.



Mastermind behind the Paris 2024 Olympic torch

This is the torch relay cauldron of Paris 2024, 1.35 metres wide, some 90 kilograms of steel. Each night the final Olympic relay runner of the day will set one alight at a stopover city in France. Each a chapter on the way to the Olympic ceremony. Once we place the cauldron it is up to everyone to come around to celebrate this moment and to wait, day after day, for the opening and finally of the Olympic Games. Mathieu Lerner is the artist who designed this iconic piece, directly inspired by Paris. It's a sort of homage to the river Seine which will be the setting for the opening ceremony but will also be the element which will bring together the Olympic sites. The colour is this mixture between what would be a gold medal, a silver medal and a bronze medal and which creates this slightly pale gold. The first designs were sketched in this studio where Mathieu also designed the Olympic torch. The cauldron alone required a year's work and was an aesthetic and technical challenge on how to integrate gas tubes into the piece. Some 20 examples were made in the French factories of steel specialist ArcelorMittal. We ran a whole series of tests to make sure that in terms of specifications the ignition went smoothly and that we got the right chew from the flame. After the Games, some of the cauldrons and torches will be handed over to museums, remaining forever as symbols of Paris 2024.

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