Before most of the competition gets underway in Paris, the Olympics began with the typical pomp and circumstance.
In many ways, this year's opening ceremony was unlike any before. The festivities took place along a stretch of the Seine River rather than in an Olympic stadium. Athletes paraded through Paris on boats, receiving cheers from as many as 300,000 fans.
Some aspects didn't change, though, as the Olympics are still steeped in tradition. France chose a few select athletes to receive the Olympic torch and light the cauldron, marking the unofficial start of the games.
Here's a look at who lit the Olympic cauldron and a history of the tradition.
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Who lit the Olympic flame in 2024?
French judoka Teddy Riner and retired sprinter Marie-Jose Perec lit the Olympic flame Friday. The cauldron took the form of a hot air balloon and lifted off after it was lit.
Teddy Riner et Marie-Jo Pérec allument ensemble la vasque olympique ! pic.twitter.com/X4VE3fG95j
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) July 26, 2024
Former soccer star Zinedine Zidane walked the Olympic torch into the venue before handing it off to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal, who traveled by boat alongside Serena Williams and Carl Lewis before handing it off to tennis great Amelie Mauresmo.
Muaresmo then handed the torch off to former NBA point guard Tony Parker. A few more athletes handled the torch and ran it past the Louvre. Those athletes, which included Paralympians, finally handed it off to Riner and Perec.
When do they light the Olympic cauldron?
The Olympic cauldron is typically lit toward the end of the opening ceremony when all of the thousands of Olympic athletes have already processed in and can watch the symbolic opening of the games.
The timing figures to be the same this year, though the ceremony won't be as simple as Olympic delegations walking around an arena. The opening ceremony will instead take place along the Seine River, so the visuals surrounding the lighting of the cauldron could be much different this year.
With the athletes in attendance and the world watching, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron will likely be among the final actions during the opening ceremony and mark the unofficial start of the Summer Games in Paris.
Olympic torch bearers 2024
Ahed of the 2024 Games, 11,000 different torchbearers held the responsibility of carrying the Olympic torch this year, with the torch largely traveling throughout France after making the trip over from Greece.
The torchbearers were selected "based on their commitment, dedication, and how they embody at least one of the core tenets of Paris 2024," the Olympics website says. Those tenets include community, diversity, and the collective.
A few torchbearers, of course, are notable figures. For example, Judo gold medalist Clarisse Agbegnenou took the torch up the Eiffel Tower. Regardless of who is selected to light the Olympic cauldron, the torch figures to be carried by some of the nation's most prominent athletes during the opening ceremony, with the entire journey leading up to the lighting of the cauldron.
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History of the Olympic flame
The Olympic torch is first lit in Olympia, Greece, as a tribute to the ancient Olympic games that set the stage for the modern events. This year's torch was lit in April. The torch is then carried, both by runners and other forms of transportation, to the host city.
The trip isn't as long this year, as Paris is also in Europe, but it will still end the same way: with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony, marking the unofficial start of the Summer Games.
The International Olympic Committee says the flame "is a manifestation of the positive values that Man has always associated with the symbolism of fire and thus makes the link between the ancient and the modern Olympic games."
Here are the last 10 individuals who lit the Olympic cauldron at the Summer Games leading up to 2024:
| Year | Athlete | Notoriety | Host |
| 2020 | Naomi Osaka | Tennis player | Tokyo |
| 2016 | Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima | Marathon runner | Rio de Janeiro |
| 2012 | Seven teenagers | Chosen by athletes | London |
| 2008 | Li Ning | Gymnast | Beijing |
| 2004 | Nikalaos Kaklamanakis | Sailor | Athens |
| 2000 | Cathy Freeman | Track and field | Sydney |
| 1996 | Muhammad Ali | Boxer | Atlanta |
| 1992 | Antonio Rebollo | Archer | Barcelona |
| 1988 | Kim Won-Tak | Marathon runner | Seoul |
| 1984 | Rafer Johnson | Track and field | Los Angeles |
