After a passage through Tahiti and a trip by boat to Guadeloupe then Martinique, islands of the Antilles, the Olympic flame plunged about forty meters into the Mediterranean, in the harbor of Villefranche, a privileged site for practice and competitions. apnea due to its depth sheltered from currents.
This is not the first time that the Olympic flame has been submerged: that of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 had spent almost three minutes underwater near the Great Barrier Reef, and before the Sochi Winter Olympics ( Russia) in 2014, divers took turns at a depth of 13 meters in Lake Baikal.
Innovations for burning underwater
In both cases, innovative chemical solutions had enabled combustion, or the illusion of combustion, under water. But for reasons of safety and environmental protection, the Alpes-Maritimes department opted for a miniature military diving tank and a system of LEDs controlled by a microcontroller to give the appearance of a real flame. The classic flame then left for a tour of the department bordering Italy, between relays by the sea and summer tobogganing or ziplining in mountain resorts.
In Cannes, where she had already climbed the steps during the film festival in May, the flame was carried by the American actress Halle Berry then the footballer Megan Rapinoe surrounded by a delegation of American athletes, including the snowboarder and skater Shaun White and practitioners of flag football (derived from American football) and lacrosse (sport between two teams and consisting of sending a rubber ball into the opposing goals using a stick), disciplines which will be on the program of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Detour via Monaco
At the start of the afternoon, the relay made a detour to Monaco, where Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc took the first relay and Prince Albert II and his wife Charlene took the last, together, on the Place du palace. A member of the International Olympic Committee, Albert II participated several times in the Winter Olympics in bobsleigh, and his grandfather John Kelly, father of Princess Grace, was a gold medalist in rowing at the Paris Olympics in 1924. A former swimming champion, Charlène, for her part, participated in the Sydney Olympics under the colors of South Africa.
At the end of the day, the flame must also go up the entire Promenade des Anglais in Nice, where it will be carried in particular by several representatives of the victims of the attack of July 14, 2016, which left 86 dead. Double world athletics champion Stéphane Diagana will light the cauldron around 7:20 p.m., in the presence of the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera.