Nearly a thousand boats will welcome the torch in France

On Wednesday, May 8, a fleet of up to 1,024 ships will mark the arrival of the Olympic torch to France via Marseille, aboard the Belém sailboat, as made official by the Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean.

The landing of the flame will take place in the city’s Old Port after a nautical parade in the north and south ports. After the event, described by the organization as “magnificent and popular”, there will be multiple events that will also be open to the general public and transmitted via streaming.

After the festive event that will be around five o’clock, the Torch Relay will be launched in different parts of France, on an 80-day journey whose conclusion will be marked by the traditional lighting of the cauldron in Paris, on Friday, July 26.

Those shipowners and sailors wishing to participate in the welcome day must register their boat on the official website “The Parade of the Olympic Flame” until the third week of April, knowing that their boat or sailboat must meet a series of technical and structural requirements.