The Olympic torch has been lit. The journey now begins for it to reach Paris and officially start of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The torch is one of the longest standing traditions of the Olympic games, dating back to the 1936 edition of the games, when the torch was first lit and carried from Olympia, Greece, to Berlin, Germany.
Since then, it has weathered the test of time, with the fire being lit for every edition of the games and carried from Greece to the latest host site of the Olympics.
The flame will have a long journey in 2024. It might begin in Greece and end in France, two European countries, but it will visit all the French territories along the way, including several in South America.
What is the route for the 2024 Olympic torch? Here's what you need to know.
Olympic torch relay map
Olympic torch relay schedule
The Olympic torch is going to be traveling all across France and other French territories. It starts with the lighting ceremony at the ancient site of the Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece, and will end at the Olympic games in July.
At each stage, including the Relay in Greece, the torch will be taken across regions to different notable sites.
Here is a look at the stages for the torch relay.
| Stage | Event | Dates |
| Lighting Ceremony | April 15-16 | |
| Relay in Greece | April 16-26 | |
| Handover Ceremony | April 25-26 | |
| Crossing the Mediterranean | April 26-May 7 | |
| Prologue | May 7 | |
| 1 | Marseille | May 8-9 |
| 2 | Var | May 9-10 |
| 3 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | May 10-11 |
| 4 | Bouches-du-Rhone | May 11-12 |
| 5 | Millau-Sete-Montpellier | May 12-13 |
| 6 | Corsica | May 13-14 |
| 7 | Pyrenees-Orientales | May 14-15 |
| 8 | Aude | May 15-16 |
| 9 | Haute-Garonne | May 16-17 |
| 10 | Gers | May 17-18 |
| 11 | Hautes-Pyrenees | May 18-19 |
| 12 | Pyrenees-Atlantiques | May 19-20 |
| 13 | Dordogne | May 21-22 |
| 14 | Bordeaux and the Libournais | May 22-23 |
| 15 | Charente | May 23-24 |
| 16 | Vienne | May 24-25 |
| 17 | Indre | May 26-27 |
| 18 | Maine-et-Loire | May 27-28 |
| 19 | Mayenne | May 28-29 |
| 20 | Calvados | May 29-30 |
| 21 | Manche | May 30-31 |
| 22 | Ille-et-Vilaine | May 31-June 1 |
| 23 | Deux-Sevres | June 1-2 |
| 24 | Vendee | June 3-4 |
| 25 | Between Loire and Atlantique | June 4-5 |
| 26 | Morbihan | June 5-6 |
| 27 | Finistere | June 6-7 |
| 28 | French Guiana | June 8-9 |
| 29 | New Caledonia | June 10-11 |
| 30 | Reunion | June 11-12 |
| 31 | French Polynesia | June 12-13 |
| 32 | Guadeloupe | June 14-15 |
| 33 | Martinique | June 16-17 |
| 34 | Alpes-Maritimes | June 17-18 |
| 35 | Vaucluse | June 18-19 |
| 36 | Drome | June 19-20 |
| 37 | Vichy | June 20-21 |
| 38 | Loire | June 21-22 |
| 39 | Haute-Savoie | June 22-23 |
| 40 | Doubs | June 24-25 |
| 41 | The European Collectivity of Alsace | June 25-26 |
| 42 | Moselle | June 26-27 |
| 43 | Haute-Marne | June 27-28 |
| 44 | Meuse | June 28-29 |
| 45 | Marne | June 29-30 |
| 46 | Nord | July 1-2 |
| 47 | Pas-de-Calais | July 2-3 |
| 48 | Somme | July 3-4 |
| 49 | Seine-Maritime | July 4-5 |
| 50 | Eure | July 5-6 |
| 51 | C-Chartres | July 6-7 |
| 52 | Loir-et-Cher | July 7-8 |
| 53 | Loiret | July 9-10 |
| 54 | Yonne | July 10-11 |
| 55 | Cote-d'Or | July 11-12 |
| 56 | Aube | July 12-13 |
| 57 | Paris, Day 1 | July 13-14 |
| 58 | Paris, Day 2 | July 14-15 |
| 59 | Aisne | July 16-17 |
| 60 | Oise | July 17-18 |
| 61 | Val-d'Oise | July 18-19 |
| 62 | Seine-et-Marne | July 19-20 |
| 63 | Val-de-Marne | July 20-21 |
| 64 | Essonne | July 21-22 |
| 65 | Yvelines | July 22-23 |
| 66 | Hauts-de-Seine | July 23-24 |
| 67 | Seine-Saint-Denis | July 24-25 |
| 68 | Epilogue | July 25-26 |
When do the Olympics start in 2024?
The Olympics will start July 24, which is actually two days before the opening ceremony July 26. The first men's soccer matches will be the first Olympic events played and will start at 9 a.m. ET on July 24.
Olympics opening ceremony details
- Date: July 26
- Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
The opening ceremony will be the largest ceremony in the history of the Olympics. It will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET and 7:30 p.m. CET (local time in Paris).
The Olympics describes the opening ceremony as "an unprecedented experience drawing on the natural light of the setting sun with all its nuances to illuminate the world’s best athletes as they travel down the Seine, in the heart of the French capital." The timing was chosen to synchronize with dusk and provide "an unforgettable spectacle, both by day and by night."
Who will light the Olympic torch in 2024?
The Olympic torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, by actress Mary Mina, who took on the role of High Priestess for the ceremony.
The torch will then pass through the hands of thousands of torchbearers before it lights the cauldron July 26. It is not yet publicly known where exactly in Paris the cauldron will be lit or who will be the final torchbearer.
Olympic torchbearer names 2024
There will be 11,000 torchbearers during the course of its journey from Greece to Paris and the 2024 Olympic Games.
These torchbearers were selected from a pool of more than 100,000. The pool was then narrowed down based on commitment, dedication and their embodiment of at least one of three core tenets of Paris 2024, according to the Olympics. There will be public figures as well as others who are less well-known.
The first tenet is people who are athletes, volunteers or other working professionals from various sports associations. That tenet also includes everyone involved with the 2024 Olympic Games. The second involves people who run businesses or are innovators and creators that embody excellence across French communities. Finally, the third includes the collective of people who work each day to improve society with a focus on solidarity.
Here are five of the torchbearers listed by the Olympics:
- Michela Rubegni
- Nicolas Wallon
- Genevieve Petey
- Margot Boucher
- Christian Cabantous
How is the Olympic torch lit?
The Olympic torch was lit in the days of the ancient games using the sun's rays. The lighting ceremony in Olympia and the process of using the light of the sun to ignite the torch started with the 1936 Olympics, and the format has stayed the same since then.
The Olympic torch begins every year in Olympia, Greece, in a ceremony that features a number of symbolic priestesses gathering at the Temple of Hera. The torch is lit using a parabolic mirror and the high priestess, portrayed by an actress, kindles the flame and presents the torch to the first torchbearer.
The flame is then taken from Olympia, Greece, across the country — or globe — to the location of that year's games.
Other Olympic torch facts
The 2024 Olympic torch will span 65 territories, including six overseas, and will be in over 400 cities. Each torchbearer will wind up covering an average of 200 meters, or just over 656 feet.
The torch used in Paris was designed by Mathieu Lehnneur, who used three themes from the games for the torch: equality, water and peacefulness. The torch is perfectly symmetrical, representing equality; it has a three-dimensional and vibrational wave that reproduce ripples and movements of water; there are curves and rounded lines that symbolize the peacefulness.
In total, ArcelorMittal will make 2,000 torches.
Olympic torch history
The Olympic torch dates back to the original games in ancient Greece. But in the modern iteration of the Olympics, it dates back to 1928.
The fire was placed in the Marathon Tower at the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium with the intention of indicating where the Olympics were being held. It still had a more practical purpose at the time, and it wasn't until the 1936 Summer Olympics it took on a more symbolic appearance.
The International Olympic Committee approved the idea to transport a flame from Greece to Berlin in May 1934, per the Olympics, with the route going through the capitals of each visited country. The first torch relay began on July 20, 1936, in Olympia, Greece. There were ceremonies at each stopover city, and by Aug. 1, the flame reached the Olympic Stadium. Fritz Schilgen was the final torchbearer.
A flame was taken from the Olympic Stadium and moved to Kiel on Aug. 2 for the sailing events and another flame was taken and moved to Grunau on Aug. 7 for the rowing and canoe events.
Despite the torch relay beginning in Nazi Germany, the tradition continued after World War II, with it seeming to inspire hope for the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
"People turned out to see it at 2 am, 3 am in the morning. It was a curiosity," Philip Barker, sports historian and author of "The Story of the Olympic Torch," told CNN. "When you consider that England was still rationing (food and supplies) at that time, to have the Olympics – and to have something unusual like this taking place – was a real boon. It really lifted people’s spirits."
Since the 1936 games, the ceremony has largely stayed the same though the torches have continued to change. The torches have improved over time to become more wind and rain resistant, and each one features a unique design to represent that year's games.
