THE PARIS Olympics have made history after creating the first-ever Olympic flame NOT made from fire.
Last Friday’s opening ceremony saw the flame handled by superstars including Snoop Dogg, Zinedine Zidane and Rafael Nadal, before Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner lit the Olympic cauldron.
However, many torchbearers may have not realised they were not handling a true “flame”.
Rather, it is an environmentally friendly water-based flame that is safe for anyone to touch.
Yet you would have been hard-pressed to notice the difference as the fire ignited beneath a hot air balloon which slowly rose into the Paris sky.
Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 organising committee, revealed the new green-geared design for the Games‘ flame, which has replaced fossil fuel-reliant fire.
He said: “We wanted the cauldron to use a new technology in order to not produce too many emissions.
“We were ambitious and we wanted to bring together something spectacular and environmentally responsible at the same time.”
The faux flame beneath the cauldron is actually 40 electrically powered LED spotlights and 200 high-pressure misting nozzles which combine to give the illusion of a traditional flame.
The flame is open for public viewing at ground level during the day at Tuileries Garden, with 10,000 ticket holders able to witness it close up before it once again rises 30 metres into the sky at night time.
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Designer Mathieu Lehanneur described the fire – made of “light and water” – as “like a cool oasis in the heart of summer”.
He added: “This absolutely unique cauldron represents all the spirit I wanted to give to the Olympic and Paralympic objects.
“Light, magical and unifying, it will be a beacon in the night and a sun within reach during the day.”
However, while these Games have made a conscious effort to be green-fingered, they have not forsaken the traditions of the Olympics.
A conventionally lit lantern has been left close to the cauldron following the traditional lighting ceremony at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece, using the light of the sun and a parabolic mirror.
A Paris 2024 spokesperson told The Telegraph: “For the Olympic movement, only the symbol of a Flame that does not go out before the end of the Games matters.
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY...
The Paris 2024 Olympics is now well underway with medals being ticked off and huge events still to come.
SunSport brings you all the action taking place in the French capital on a what is expected to be a huge third day.
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Alex Yee is desperate to go one better than his Tokyo triathlon silver medal now the Seine has the green light (7am).
The Team GB 4x200m men’s freestyle swimming squad are packed with talent and could be in for gold (8.59pm).
And the women’s gymnastics team could also get a podium finish but it’s a strong field including Simone Biles’ USA (5.15pm).
BRITS TO WATCH
Kieran Reilly and Charlotte Worthington get underway in the freestyle BMX qualifiers (12.25pm).
Joe Clarke and Mallory Franklin are both in canoe slalom action, while the men’s hockey side face top-dogs the Netherlands.
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
Clarisse Agbegnenou carried the flag for France at the opening ceremony.
She can back that up with a third Olympic judo gold in the -63kg final (4.49pm).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
It is the final day of the rugby sevens for this Olympics, ending with the final at the 70,000-seater Stade de France at 6.45pm.
And the street-style 3×3 basketball gets underway at the spectacular La Concorde venue at the bottom of the Champs-Elysees in the heart of the city.
Click here for all the events taking place at Paris 2024 today.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
“This flame is the true Olympic Flame, in the wake of the lighting ceremony in Olympia and of the Olympic Torch Relay throughout France.
“Given the specificity of our cauldron and the technologies involved, we will still keep a lit lantern in the immediate vicinity of the Cauldron for the public to admire.”
Back at the Montreal Games in 1976, the Olympic flame was “transformed” into a radio signal and broadcast from Europe to Ottawa.
A heat sensor then detected the flame and sent it via satellite to Canada where it triggered a laser which lit the flame.
Other environmentally friendly initiatives from these Games include 7,800 grandstand seats made from 70 tons of locally collected and recycled plastic waste and 6,900m2 of the roof being covered with vegetation for enhanced thermal comfort.
Organisers have also emphasised commitments to existing infrastructure.
The Olympic Village is set to be repurposed into a residential area following when the games conclude, while the Elancourt area where Tom Pidcock dramatically won gold on Monday has been renatured.
PARIS 2024’s epic four-hour long Opening Ceremony provided some spectacular, X-rated… and downright bizarre moments.
Here are some of SunSport’s highlights.
Lady Gaga wowed the crowd by the River Seine as sang a cabaret set… in FRENCH.
But it didn’t go to plan for one poor dancer who FELL OFF the stage.
Fans watching on TV were left in stitches by some of the dad dancing on show.
And one dancer gave a BILLION fans viewing worldwide far more than they bargained for with an Inbetweeners-style X-rated wardrobe mishap.
In the UK, BBC viewers were all switching over to Eurosport when they found out who was hosting.
Fans were stunned to see a forgotten Premier League winner as his nation’s flag-bearer on the Seine procession.
While some viewers were worried Serena Williams was going to THROW UP during a very choppy boat ride with the Olympic torch.
