Paris Olympics 2024 torch begins journey to France after lighting in Greece's ancient Olympia

Torchbearers to carry flame over a distance of 5,000 km through 41 cities ahead of Games starting in late July

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Paris 2024 Torch began its journey to France after a traditional ceremony in Olympia, Greece, the place where the ancient Olympic Games began.

First used at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, a hundred torchbearers will carry the flame over a distance of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) through 41 cities, after traveling by sea onboard the full-rigged ship Belem.

"At Paris 2024, with more than two months of uninterrupted festivities, we’ll live a magnificent adventure together, all over the territory, with millions of French people in the wake of the Games," Tony Estanguet, the president of Paris 2024, said on Olympics.com

"We want to make people dream, we want to show a France that shines. We’re lucky to have strong support from all regions," he added.

The Olympic Torch Relay will start its journey in France on May 8 with the flame arriving in Marseille ahead of 68 days of travel across the French territories.

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is billed as the biggest event ever organized in France.

The Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.

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