The Olympic Torch Relay Cauldron for Paris 2024 made its debut in Marseille on 9 May: it was created by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, who is also responsible for the Olympic Torch design. The Torch relay made its first stop in Marseille and will be illuminated by the final torchbearer at every stopover city leading up to the Olympic Games (26 July-11 August 2024) and Paralympic Games (28 August-8 September)
Paris 2024: Olympic Torch Relay Cauldron by Mathieu Lehanneur
The Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays cauldron in Marseille on May 8, 2024. The transfer of the flame onshore from a 19th-century tall ship will mark the start of a 12,000-kilometre (7,500-mile) torch relay across mainland France and the country's far-flung overseas territories
The Torch Relay Cauldron was created by Lehanneur in collaboration with ArcelorMittal, and serves as an object to kickstart the four month-long Olympic celebration in France. On 26 July 2024, the Torch Relay cauldrons will give way to the yet to be unveiled Olympic Cauldron at the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
'The Torch, the Cauldron of the Flame Relay and the Olympic Cauldron are not separate objects, they are chapters in one great story,' says Lehanneur. 'Each embodies the spirit of the Paris Games. The cauldron takes the form of a ring of fire suspended above a liquid surface. Both pure and magical, it seems to float and is reflected in its metallic base. If the Torch carries the sacred fire from Olympia that is passed on, the cauldron is the object around which we gather, and which unites our energies.'
The Torch Relay Cauldron photographed at Mathieu Lehanneur's studio, Paris
Like the Olympic Torch, the Torch Relay Cauldron's design is inspired by water and formal purity. The Cauldron design features three supports holding a floating ring, nodding to the curved design of the Torch itself, and representing fraternity. 'Installed at the celebration venue in each of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay stopover cities, the Paris 2024 cauldron invites people to come together, share and celebrate,' reads a note accompanying the announcement.
The Torch Relay Cauldron's materials and colours also reference the Torch, as both are made in a combination of gold, silver and bronze, with a shiny finish on the lower sides and a matt finish on the upper elements. In collaboration with AncelOrmittal, the base was hydroformed (shaped by water) to convey the texture of the water, while the ring of the Torch Relay Cauldron was pierced with 260 holes to achieve the final circular blaze effect.
'Each day, during the Torch Relay, the lighting of the cauldron by the last Torchbearer of the day will be a highlight,' says Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024. 'In each stopover city, the cauldron will be a real meeting point to round off these days of celebration and communion in style. We're inviting everyone to join us there, to share in all the emotions we'll be experiencing with the Torch Relay and to celebrate, together, the arrival of the Games in France.'
The Heart of the Torch
At the same time, Lehanneur also unveiled the 'Heart of the Torch', a special gift offered to each torchbearer representing the ring joining the two parts of the Olympic Torch. Made of gold-covered steel, it will be engraved with the words “PORTEUR DE LA FLAMME”, “ECLAIREUR DES JEUX” and “PARIS 2024”.
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'Inseparable from the Torch, the cauldron will travel across France, spreading joy and enthusiasm as the Opening Ceremony approaches. The Heart of the Torch, meanwhile, will salute the contribution of each and every Torchbearer,' says Eric Niedziela, Chairman of ArcelorMittal France. 'These two magnificent objects are testimony to the beauty of what our metal industries can achieve.'
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