Clues about the cauldron: it will not be in the stadium but in the middle of Paris and in public view

The pot that will house the flame of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games could be installed in the emblematic Tuileries Garden, on the banks of the Seine and between Place de la Concorde and the Louvre Museum, according to French media.

According to the public television channel France 2, the cauldron will be in public view, installed in a structure that will rise above the main fountain in the garden. Local media, citing informants of the security device at the opening party, detail that the organizers’ initial idea was to put the pot in the square in front of the Louvre Museum or in the Eiffel Tower area. However, Las Tuileries was chosen because it was more easily accessible to the public and because it was a location close to the Plaza de la Concordia, where freestyle BMX cycling, breaking dance, skateboarding and 3x3 basketball events will be held.

Sources from the local organizing committee “did not confirm or deny” the information in the French press, but they said that the idea is that the cauldron is “in the heart of Paris, because of its symbolism and so that it can be seen by all”.

It was not clear if the cauldron would light up inside the Tuileries or if it would be moved there after the opening ceremony, which will take place along the Seine River with delegations parading on board.

The torch relay for Paris 2024 will begin on April 16, when the flame ignites in Olympia, Greece, and then it will be transported by sea to Marseille on a large French three-masted sailboat from the 19th century called Belém.

Then, the flame will travel across French territory to finish in Paris on July 26 and light the cauldron, always an iconic moment of every Olympic Game.