Paris 2024: Olympic torch arrives in French capital
The Olympic torch arrived in the French capital on Sunday to cheers from tourists and locals alike.
On Place Blanche, dancers from the famous Parisian cabaret Le Moulin Rouge welcomed the Olympic flame to Paris with a performance of the iconic Cancan dance.
This performance comes after the inauguration of the cabaret’s new windmill wings on July 5th, after the huge sails inexplicably collapsed after a show earlier this year.
The Olympic torch made appearances on Sunday at the Bastille Day military parade, before heading to Notre Dame Cathedral. the Sorbonne University and the Louvre.
On Monday Olympic torch bearers ran down the Champs Elysées on Monday in one of the last legs of the relay that has seen the flame travel across France.
Singer Amir Haddad and pastry chef Nina Metayer stood for a ‘torch kiss’ with their backs to the Arc de Triomphe, one of the capital’s key landmarks while tourists and locals cheered them on from behind barriers along the pavement.
With 11 days to go before the opening ceremony, organisers are putting the finishing touches to the Olympic sites scattered across the city, from the Eiffel Tower to the Grand Palais and the Concorde square.
The flame will return to Paris for the Olympics opening ceremony on July 26th.
By Africanews
