Sheltered by her lantern, protected by a transparent Plexiglas transport box without a back plate so she can breathe, she sits on the forecastle, at the lookout post. First installed in her cradle, on the counter of the large roof between two Phryges, the mascots of Paris 2024, she then found herself on the lunch table, in the battery, among the crew members trying to enjoy a tasty hamburger and fries. And it could be that tomorrow or one of the days after, we will see it, somewhere in the mast. On the Belemthe Olympic flame, is indeed the 65e crew member, as the captain, Aymeric Gibet respectfully calls him.
She is everywhere, the center of attention, never alone. Monitored like milk on fire, or rather fire on water, twenty-four hours a day, by three guards recognizable by their beige canvas pants, their navy blue t-shirts, even their socks and branded shoes “Paris 2024 Torch Relay”. The purpose of the mission seems disproportionate given the size of the flame that everyone is wondering about, risking predictions down to the millimeter: what does it do? 1.5cm, 1.7cm, 2cm? Nothing to do with the flame springing from the torchbearers’ torch, but whatever its measurements, the symbolism remains the same. And we must recognize that the light of this original fire lit in Greece, in Olympia, attracts attention.
“Our main role is to maintain it”, explains François Blaizot-Bonnemains, originally from Cherbourg, one of the three goalkeepers, with Marseillais Kévin Gendarme and Brestois Erwan Le Pape. The latter was the first guardian of the flame, handed over to Tony Estanguet, the president of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop), during the handover in Athens on April 26.
The same lantern model for thirty years
Reinstalled in the large roof, its most frequent place, its operation is explained to crew members curious to know how this little flame manages to survive far from the cozy lounges of the French embassy in Athens, where it spent a night before boarding. “It’s simple, but essentialexplain the guards. Every eight hours, the lantern is recharged with approximately 50 milliliters of liquid paraffin. Once the tank is full, close the lantern latch and off we go. The wick is also changed every two weeks. »
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