Samia Ghali is not a little proud. On this April morning, on the heights of Marseille, in her vast office at the Palais du Pharo, with a view of the sun-drenched Old Port, the deputy mayor in charge of major events is enjoying it. The big day is approaching. Wednesday May 8, the Phoenician city will welcome the Olympic torch from Greece. The chosen one is delighted with this “pre-opening of the Games”, which will start July 26: “Marseille will light up France and the world with the arrival of the flame, which can only be done in this way here. »
Listening to him, if Tony Estanguet, the boss of Paris 2024, announced, a year and a half ago, that Marseille would be the first French city to receive the flame, the former senator, who grew up in the neighborhoods north, has nothing to do with it, far from it. “About two years ago, I put pressure on, she smiled. OK, we had the sailing events, but sailing isn’t sexy. It’s not popular, an uninformed viewer doesn’t understand anything. I said: “We need something for the people of Marseille to take ownership of these Games.” »
Samia Ghali knows the program for May 8 by heart. First, the arrival, in the harbor, of the Belem, a 19th century three-masted shipe century, joined by a thousand boats. Then the landing of the flame on dry land, followed by a large free concert where one hundred and fifty thousand people are expected in the Old Port. Finally, shortly before midnight, fireworks to conclude.
A “Cocaland” in the land of pastis
700 kilometers away, a woman is also swimming in full enthusiasm. Claire Revenu, general director of Paris 2024 at Coca-Cola France, takes on the accents of a televangelist to discuss “the magic of the Games”. In Paris, this April evening, she invited the media to a former fire station near the Gare de l’Est, converted into a trendy third place. With a promise as a bait, that of revealing the artists who will host the “Coca-Cola concert” – its official name –, planned for the Old Port, Quai de la Fraternité, on May 8.
Alas, the secret has been revealed: twelve days before this press briefing, Provence leaked the name of the main headliner of the show, Marseille rapper Soprano. Not enough to destabilize Coca’s “Madame JO”, who announces the presence of another rapper, Alonzo. “What is the magic of Coca-Cola? It’s about making the French experience a unique moment,” unfolds Claire Revenu.
For months now, the young forty-year-old, who worked for the sweet behemoths Mondelez and United Biscuits, has been hammering home her speech. Synthetic images show a crowded Old Port decorated with huge brand flags. A “Cocaland” in the land of pastis. Claire Revenu summarizes with a formula: “Paris 2024 dreamed of it, Coca-Cola did it! » For several decades, it has been difficult to say whether the Games are rolling out the red carpet to the drinks manufacturer or the other way around.
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