France celebrated its national Bastille Day on July 14, 2024, with a unique military parade that incorporated the Olympic flame, marking the start of Paris’s 12-day countdown to the 2024 Summer Olympics. The event, held on Avenue Foch instead of the traditional Champs-Élysées due to Olympic preparations, featured a reduced military presence of 4,000 participants, down from 6,500 last year.The parade paid homage to the 80th anniversary of France’s liberation from Nazi occupation while showcasing the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. President Emmanuel Macron attended the ceremony, which included aerial displays by the Patrouille de France.A highlight of the event was the arrival of the Olympic flame, carried by Colonel Thibault Vallette, a gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Olympics, on horseback. The flame was then passed to young athletes dressed in the five Olympic colors, forming the Olympic rings in front of the presidential tribune.Following the parade, the Olympic flame began its 48-hour journey through Paris, visiting iconic landmarks such as the Panthéon, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Sorbonne University, and the Louvre Museum. The relay involves 540 torchbearers, including celebrities like former football player Thierry Henry, each carrying the flame for 200-400 meters.The flame’s journey through Paris is being accompanied by significant security measures, with 1,600 police and gendarmes dedicated to the relay, part of the 18,000 security forces mobilized for the event. This heightened security comes as Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport has reinforced its measures to handle the influx of visitors during the Olympics.The unique celebration comes as France faces political challenges, with President Macron dealing with an unprecedented political crisis. Despite these issues, the event aimed to rekindle the Olympic spirit and unite the nation as it prepares to host the Summer Games starting July 26.
Key points
- France combined its Bastille Day celebrations with the Olympic flame relay, marking the 12-day countdown to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- The military parade featured a reduced presence due to Olympic security measures and included the Olympic flame carried by gold medalist Thibault Vallette.
- The Olympic flame began a 48-hour journey through Paris, carried by 540 torchbearers and accompanied by heightened security measures.
