Although lighting a flame at the opening of the Olympic Games is a well-known tradition, this year's organizers in Paris have come up with an eco-friendly and safe way for anyone who touches it, by designing a sports symbol that combines light and water to achieve the same effect. The British newspaper "Telegraph" reported that the fire in the torch consists of 40 electric lamps and 200 high-pressure water spray jets that create an illusion of flames, but it is not actual fire.
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, stated: "We wanted to use new technology for the cauldron so that it doesn't produce a lot of emissions," adding, "We were ambitious and wanted to combine something amazing with environmental responsibility at the same time." Estanguet noted that during the day, the torch and balloon will be installed in the Tuileries Garden, allowing 10,000 ticket holders to see it up close, and when night falls, the balloon will rise into the air again, hovering 30 meters above its moorings.
The torch designer, Mathieu Lehanneur, said: "This unique cauldron is light and magical; it will serve as a beacon at night and a sun within reach during the day. The flame burning inside it will be made of light and water, like a cool oasis in summer."
However, the lack of a real flame may disappoint some, as months before each Olympic Games, the flame is kindled at the site of the ancient Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece, using sunlight and a mirror, and is then transported through torches in a relay before reaching the end of the opening ceremony and igniting a cauldron that burns throughout the event before being extinguished during the closing ceremony.
A spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympics explained: "For the Olympic tradition, the symbol of the flame that does not extinguish before the end of the games is the only important aspect." He added, "Due to the uniqueness of our cauldron and the technologies used, we will keep a lit lantern in the area directly adjacent to the cauldron to impress the audience." The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics were opened on Friday with a grand ceremony.
