Paris Games organizers have promised ‘fantastic’ celebrations in the city, where the Old Port has been placed under high security
The Olympic flame on the French 19th-century three-masted barque Belem as the boat sails near the coast of Marseille, in the Mediterranean Sea, on May 8.Excitement is building in the southern French city of Marseille, where a majestic three-mast ship carrying the Olympic torch arrived from Greece ahead of a welcoming ceremony at sunset Wednesday.
The welcoming ceremony at dusk on Wednesday will include a demonstration by the jets of the Patrouille de France, the acrobatic team of the French air force. Thousands of firefighters and bomb disposal squads have been positioned around the city along with maritime police and anti-drone teams patrolling the city’s waters and its airspace.
“I wanted to see how things are going and maybe come back later with the kids, if it’s not too crowded, to see the flame arrive,” said Paul Vuarambon, a Marseille resident, on a walk along the Old Port with his son. Despite high security and the overhaul of the entire city for Wednesday’s ceremony, Vaurambon said, “People here are pretty happy with the Olympics.”
Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou has been chosen to be the first carrier of the flame in France. Manaudou, who won four Olympic medals, is the brother of swimmer Laure Manaudou, who won three Olympic medals at Athens in 2004.The show will “dazzle the world,” said Payan, adding that up to 150,000 spectators are expected in the Old Port.
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