In the streets of Saint-Emilion (Gironde), the mayor (without label) Bernard Lauret poses with a couple of Canadian tourists. It is after 9 a.m., Thursday, May 23, and his day is already well underway: welcoming the Olympic flame obliges, he started it at dawn, greeting his constituents, thanking the police.
From 8 a.m., tourists, residents of neighboring towns, onlookers and enthusiasts flocked to the streets of the city, renowned for its world heritage vineyards, to witness the start of the relay. In front of city hall, Jeff Berrouet, 42, is installed with his family. A winegrower in Montagne, 3 kilometers away, he wanted to take his children, aged 6 and 9, along. In memory, also, of his own Olympic experience lived at the age of 10.
“I saw the Olympic flame pass from Albertville in 1992 to Libourne. I even had a little plastic flame as a souvenirremembers the winemaker. I have kept the memory of that moment, and I tell myself that my children will now have the privilege of having it too. »And what matter are the anticipated difficulties for the rest of the day, with its planned deliveries. He also left the choice to his employees to come and work on the estate or not. “It’s once every thirty years”justifies Jeff Berrouet, referring to the 1992 Games.
At the entrance to Saint-Emilion, a spectator is particularly attentive and watches for the arrival of the flame: Jean-Luc Dupont, the mayor (without label) de Chinon made the trip to attend an event that he too would have liked to host in his town. “But we didn’t have the means”he explains, while the department of Indre-et-Loire refused to pay the 180,000 euros requested by the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee to receive the relay.
“Instead, the Departmental Council proposed to integrate the entire territory into sporting activities over three years, to discover Olympic sports”, continues Jean-Luc Dupont, delighted to have associated his municipality with the program. An initiative “less media” he concedes, but with significant influence: “We put the money as close as possible to the clubs. »
Sports and aquatic complex almost entirely occupied by children
For the passing of the baton in the Gironde wine-growing city, the crowd is dense. Manuela Cabot, 56, marvels at “an exceptional moment”. And if Saint-Emilion, which welcomes more than a million tourists each year, is already well known, “it’s still a window onto the city”, she argues, delighted, but also that “ local children can participate. They will remember it all their lives. I wish I had seen this when I was a kid.”.
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