Valentin Rongier or Alexandre Mazzia, soprano and Lauriane Nolot, celebrities, athletes and anonymous people will carry the torch, the emblem of the Olympic Games, on May 9 in Marseille. Here is what we know about the 151 selected.
Fan of the Games, great sportswoman, local celebrity, committed community member… There will be 151 of them carrying the Olympic flame into Marseille on May 9, the day after arriving in Belem.
Alone or in a group, they must cover one of the planned stretches of a few hundred metres.
What is the profile of these flame bearers? France 3 Provence-Alpes brings you the information known to date, knowing that surprise guests will be announced on May 8.
Slightly more men than women
There will be a few more bearers than bearers of the Olympic flame in the streets of Marseille. 80 men will hold the torch against 71 women.
An almost respectable parity (53% male, 47% female) for games that aim to be the first “to show strict parity” in competitions, according to the International Olympic Committee.
An average age of 43 years
The average age of the 151 carriers is 43.65 years. Albert Corrieri, the oldest chosen one, is 102 years old. The oldest national porter was deported to Nazi camps and became a victim of the Marseille Roundup in January 1943. In 2018, he wrote a letter to the President of the Republic to receive compensation for 25 months of forced labor in Germany.
Louis, 15, born in 2009, will be the youngest to carry the Olympic flame. He is passionate about water sports and does windsurfing and wing foiling.
Jean-Pierre Papin, Lauriane Nolot and quite a few athletes
This is perhaps the name that will resonate most in the hearts of Marseilles: Jean-Pierre Papin will carry the Olympic flame on 9 May. The former international footballer and who will have marked his six years in the blue and white jersey for his “papinade”, has trained OM’s reserve team since November 2023. His teammate at the time, Eric Di Meco who won the Champions League in 1993, will also be one of the bearers. IF still, Valentin Rongier, injured until the end of the season, will still be able to hold the torch.
Fabien Gilot, Olympic swimming champion in 2012, will represent the swimmers together with Florent Manaudou, the first bearer of the flame on French soil. Varoise Lauriane Nolot, world kite champion and member of the French team, will also be there before she brings her medal hopes to Marseille waters at the end of July. Far from the ski slopes, Cyprien Sarrazin, who won it all this winter, will join the event. Marathon runner, professional handball player, skilled cyclist, a number of amateur athletes complete the lucky ones.
Alexandre Mazzia, Alonzo and Marseille figures
Chef Alexandre Mazzia will carry the flame. With its three stars in the Michelin guide and its five Toques Gault&Millau, the name is inevitably on everyone’s lips when we talk about food in Marseille. Rapper Alonzo, who will hold a concert on the evening of May 8, is also on the famous list. According to our information, it is his sidekick Soprano, who will light the cauldron in front of the Vélodrome on 9 May. Both grew up in Marseille.
The presenter of Dancing with the Stars, Camille Combal, is from Orres in the Hautes-Alpes. Anyone who calls themselves a fan of Edgar Grospiron will also have the “honour” of carrying the torch, like Marseille interior designer Marion Duclos Mailaender, named among this year’s 100 creators. By their side, influencer Benoit Chevalier to 745,000 Instagram subscribers.
People involved in community life
If the sport’s values of surpassing oneself are widely shared among its users, the symbols of sharing and brotherhood of the Olympic Games also inhabit many participants. “The Olympic flame represents peace”, says, for example, Elias, French-Lebanese.
Loredana is a volunteer with the Little Brothers of the Poor, Catherine is involved with the Cancer Society, Odile for the Red Cross, Dorothée works for full citizenship for the blind, Mathilde follows refugees, Marie-Alice teaches women to defend themselves, Sylvain is a member of an environmental protection association. Sandra wants to celebrate”world union” and diversity. With Nathalie Paoli, who founded the association for bereaved parents Le Point stood up after her daughter’s death.
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