On 16 April 2024, the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
This ceremony, imbued with art and poetry, marks the launch this year of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and is a powerful symbol for sport and humanity.
Communion, transmission and hope are symbolised by architecture, design, fashion and the performing arts.
In 1892, Pierre de Coubertin launched an appeal for the reinstatement of the Olympic Games, an appeal that is still heard today.
His intention was to promote sport as a source of internal improvement, and to unite nations in friendship and peace through sport.
Architecture : le temple d’Héra, symbole de la trêve sacrée.
The setting chosen for the Olympic flame lighting ceremony was the Temple of Hera, originally dedicated to Zeus and Hera, in which the inscription of the sacred truce agreement was preserved.
The ruins of this temple retain this profoundly humanist spirit and bear witness to the usefulness of architecture :
- a witness to and reflection of history and the transmission of strong principles,
- a testament to the usefulness of beauty to the greatness of a nation and its people.
Design as a symbol of transmission
The importance of the world of design and know-how is strongly felt through :
- The transmission of the sacred flame, born of the encounter between an ancient-looking ceramic bowl and a metal torch, in which the sacred fire becomes the Olympic flame.
A genuine dialogue between earth and iron, which our eyes see and our senses understand.
Passing on know-how, evolving materials and techniques, right up to the torch for the Paris 2024 Olympics, designed by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur.
This rechargeable torch has been produced as part of a sustainable approach. Only 2,000 torches will be needed to reach Paris, compared with 8,000 for the previous Olympics.
- The transmission of Pierre de Coubertin’s project through the route to the highly symbolic marble stele commemorating the re-establishment of the Olympic Games, where his heart rests while his body is buried in Lausanne.
This stele shows the symbolic importance of design and how, through each creation, we can convey a message, an intention..
Fashion as a symbol of union between two nations
The clothes worn by the actors at the Olympic flame lighting ceremony were designed by an Italian fashion designer who wanted to link tradition with his image of Paris. The white of the vestalian outfits was replaced by white and grey stripes, imitating the pleats and incorporating the grey of the Eiffel Tower and of the medals.
Here too, the choice of outfits is imbued with symbolic meaning and intent.
The power of nature and the living arts
Nature is omnipresent in this ceremony:
- Firstly, through fire, a sacred fire that bears witness to higher powers, a fire that symbolises hope and strength, a fire that symbolises life and creation.
- Secondly, the olive branch, a symbol of love and peace, which was used to make the victors’ crowns at the ancient Olympic Games.
- The ritual of releasing a white dove, a symbol of peace and hope.
- By the scenography, which takes up the highlights of the rituals inspired by antiquity and incorporates theatre, dance and music, the living arts par excellence.
The Olympic flame is lit, Paris 2024 is launched.
May this sacred fire, this Olympic flame, not only set ablaze all the athletes to whom we wish the best during these Games, but also set ablaze the world, which needs it so much.
Creacontact, Ambassador of Know-How
