Underwater and with 12 flames at the same time: the route of the Paralympic torch was revealed

In a joint announcement, the International Paralympic Committee and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee announced the route of the Paralympic torch, to be held between August 25 and 28, 2024, the opening day of the Games. Under the premise of distinguishing the founding town of the Paralympic Movement, the relay will begin in Stoke Mandeville, England, and will end in the Place de la Concorde in Paris with the lighting of the cauldron.

In an innovative and unprecedented initiative, the concept of “multiple torch” is incorporated: the main flame will give birth to 11 new fires when it reaches the city of Calais, after crossing from England to France through the Channel Tunnel (Eurotunnel). Each branch will represent a day of competitions and they will only come together again on August 27 in a parade in Paris prior to the opening ceremony.

As anticipated by the French Sports Minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the 12 torches will be “carefully guarded” in each of the 50 cities she will visit. More than a thousand relievers will take part in the journey, including 24 English and 24 French athletes who will join the middle of the Eurotunnel.

“It promises to be quite magical because coastal cities, mountain cities and rural cities will be present at the relay,” described Tony Estanguet, president of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 12 of these cities will function as celebration points.

For his part, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, stressed: “What I love about the Paris 2024 Paralympic torch relay is that it represents our past, present and future”. It was the decision of the Brazilian leader that in Stoke Mandeville the Paralympic flame should always be lit starting this year.

The Paralympic relay has three significant differences compared to the Olympic relay. While the extension of the first will be four days, the second one will last more than three months (it will begin on April 16). The Paralympic torch will not visit overseas territories, but its omnipresence will distinguish it: the Olympic torch cannot be seen in several places at the same time.

A common point is marked by the reliever uniform. Both will be white for the sake of symbolizing peace, unity and fraternity between peoples. In turn, the two flames will be created in the place where they were born.

The Paralympic Games will land in the French capital for the first time. This is due, in part, to the fact that it was only in 1988 that the Paralympic venue began to coincide continuously with the Olympic venue. Coming from 182 countries, more than 4,300 athletes with physical, intellectual, visual disabilities and paralysis or brain injury will pursue glory in 22 sports and 549 events.