The decision to place the Olympic cauldron in the tourist
hotspot in the centre of the city was taken “several weeks ago”, the source
said on condition of anonymity.
“The Tuileries emerged as the first choice because of the
ease of access for the public,” the source said.
There had been speculation that the flame might be placed on
the Eiffel Tower, while organisers also contemplated putting it in the
courtyard of the Louvre, the world’s biggest museum, the source said.
The Tuileries “is an area that can be easily secured. There
will be security forces on duty round the clock to protect the flame and the
general public will be able to see it thanks to the raised footpaths around the
garden,” the source added.
The lighting of the cauldron is a key moment during the
Olympics opening ceremony, signalling the formal start of the global sports
extravaganza.
It was unclear if the cauldron would be lit inside the
Tuileries or whether it would be transferred there after the unprecedented
opening ceremony on July 26, which is set to take place on boats along the
nearby river Seine.
The identity of the person given the honour of lighting it
remains unknown, while details about the opening ceremony — which will take
place outside of the athletics stadium for the first time — are a closely
guarded secret.
Organisers have vowed to make the first Olympics in Paris in
100 years “iconic”.
Symbolic location
Asked about the cauldron, the Paris organising committee
said in a statement to AFP that “we will not confirm or deny any of the reports
that are circulating. There have already been a lot of rumours on its
location.”
Organisers want the cauldron to be “placed in the heart of
Paris for its symbolism and so that it is visible for everyone,” the statement
added.
The Paris Games are set to take place at locations around
the capital, including at temporary stadiums by the Eiffel Tower and on the
Place de la Concorde which abuts the Tuileries Garden.
The park was designed in 1664 at the behest of the so-called
“Sun King” Louis XIV and is closely associated with the defunct French royal
family, as well as the anti-monarchist Revolution of 1789.
The torch relay for Paris 2024 will begin on April 16 when a
flame is taken from Olympia in Greece before being transported by sea to
Marseille in a three-masted 19th-century French tall ship called the Belum.
The flame is then set to travel through 400 French towns and
dozens of tourist attractions during a 12,000-kilometre (7,500-mile) journey
over the mainland and overseas French territories in the Caribbean, Indian
Ocean and Pacific.
At the last Covid-disrupted Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, the
hydrogen-powered cauldron was lit by tennis star Naomi Osaka inside the eerily
empty main athletics stadium during the opening ceremony.
A second one was placed on the waterfront near Tokyo Bay.
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