Paris 2024 Unveils Stunning Design for Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay Cauldron by Mathieu Lehanneur

(IN BRIEF) Paris 2024, in anticipation of the Torch Relay’s arrival in Marseille on 8 May, reveals the striking design of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay cauldron, crafted by renowned designer Mathieu Lehanneur and manufactured by ArcelorMittal. The cauldron, symbolizing unity and fraternity, will be lit by the last Torchbearer at each stopover city during the Relay, fostering community celebration and anticipation for the Games. Alongside the cauldron, Paris 2024 introduces the “Heart of the Torch,” a commemorative ring for Torchbearers, embodying the spirit of the Relay and crafted with expertise by ArcelorMittal. This unveiling marks a significant step in the journey towards the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, showcasing the fusion of artistry, technology, and community spirit.

(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, 6-May-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — As France eagerly awaits the arrival of the Torch Relay in Marseille on 8 May, Paris 2024 reveals the design of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay cauldron, created by Mathieu Lehanneur. Manufactured by ArcelorMittal, an Official Partner of Paris 2024, a cauldron will be lit at the celebration venue in each stopover city by the last Torchbearer of the day – a real highlight!

To find out more about the design of the cauldron and the Heart of the Torch – the souvenir ring given to the Torchbearers – the visual content is available at this link.

After the Torch and before the Olympic Cauldron, the cauldrons of the Torch Relays

The Olympic Torch Relay is an epic story told through three objects that are highly symbolic of the Games. Lit in Olympia, the Paris 2024 Torch has travelled across Greece in a tribute to the ancient origins of the Games. It will reappear in Marseille on 8 May to launch four months of celebrations of the Games in France.

When the Torch is on French soil, the 10,000 Olympic Torchbearers will take it in turns to light up the regions and bring the energy of the Games closer to the French people. At each stopover city, the last Torchbearer of the day will light the cauldron at the celebration venue, bringing the festivities to a climax.

It is only on the last day of the Torch Relay, 26 July 2024, that the Torch Relay cauldrons will give way to the Olympic Cauldron, at the opening of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The Torch, cauldron and Paralympic cauldron will also be part of the Paralympic Torch Relay, which will set off from Stoke Mandeville in England, the historic birthplace of Paralympic sport. Arriving in France in Calais on 25 August, the Paralympic Flame will be divided into twelve Flames around the country. These Flames will light up a cauldron in each stopover city, before reuniting to ignite the Paralympic cauldron in Paris on 28 August 2024.

Torch and cauldron, a shared history

Created by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, the Torch Relay cauldron draws on the inspirations and signature features of the Torch: the purity of form, colour and the texture of water.

One base, three supports and an almost floating ring… the pure form of the cauldron reflects the gentle curves of the Torch, the symbol of appeasement conveyed by the Flame and the Games.

The cauldron also has the same luminous hue as the Torch, a combination of gold, silver and bronze, with a shiny finish on the lower parts and a matt finish on the upper parts.

From the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea to the Seine, the stage of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games and competition venue, via the Oceans Relay, the central role of water in the Torch Relay and the Games of Paris 2024 is symbolised both on the Torch and on the base of the cauldron with wave and ripple effects.

“The Torch, the Torch Relay cauldron and the Olympic Cauldron are not separate objects. They are chapters in one great story. Each embodies the spirit of the Paris Games. The cauldron takes the form of a ring of fire suspended above a liquid surface. Both pure and magical, it seems to float and is reflected in its metallic base. If the Torch is a sacred fire that is passed on, the cauldron is the object around which we gather and which unites our energies.” Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of the cauldron of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays. 

The cauldron, a symbol of fraternity

The symmetrical shape of the Torch is an expression of Equality. The Torch Relay cauldron, with its perfectly circular ring, represents Fraternity. Installed at the celebration venue in each of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay stopover cities, the Paris 2024 cauldron invites people to come together, share and celebrate.

At the end of each day, the image of the cauldron being lit by the last Torchbearer will leave a lasting impression: transferred by the Torch, the sacred fire will spread simultaneously to each side of the ring.

“Each day, during the Torch Relay, the lighting of the cauldron by the last Torchbearer of the day will be a highlight. In each stopover city, the cauldron will be a real meeting point to round off these days of celebration and communion in style. We’re inviting everyone to join us there, to share in all the emotions we’ll be experiencing with the Torch Relay and to celebrate, together, the arrival of the Games in France. We can’t wait!” Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024.

The manufacture of the cauldron and the “Heart of the Torch”, ArcelorMittal expertise

Like the Torch, the manufacture of the Torch Relay cauldron was entrusted to ArcelorMittal, Official Partner of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Its unique design required special expertise: the base was shaped by water, or “hydroformed”, to obtain a water mark. The ring of the cauldron, meanwhile, had to be pierced with 260 holes to create the spectacular circular blaze.

At previous editions of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, a Torch was traditionally offered to each Torchbearer as a souvenir. Although the number of Torches produced (2,000) has been divided by five compared with previous editions of the Torch Relay, Paris 2024 still wanted to offer a gift to the 11,000 Torchbearers: the Heart of the Torch.

In the middle of the Torch, a ring joins the upper and lower parts. Both the core and the axis of symmetry of the Torch, this ring inspired the design of this gift to the Torchbearers, as did the design of the cauldron. The gold-coloured ring is also produced by ArcelorMittal, using steel made entirely in France. Engraved with the words “PORTEUR DE LA FLAMME”, “ECLAIREUR DES JEUX”  and “PARIS 2024”, it can be kept and displayed proudly by each Torchbearer, an elegant reminder of a unique moment.

“In addition to the Torch and spectaculars, ArcelorMittal is delighted to have manufactured the cauldron and the Heart of the Torch for the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays of the Paris 2024 Games. Inseparable from the Torch, the cauldron will travel across France, spreading joy and enthusiasm as the Opening Ceremony approaches. The Heart of the Torch, meanwhile, will salute the contribution of each and every Torchbearer.  These two magnificent objects are also testimony to the beauty of what our metal industries can achieve, and to the excellence of the savoir-faire of the ArcelorMittal teams and their partners. I would like to thank Paris 2024 for this latest vote of confidence”, Eric Niedziela, Chairman of ArcelorMittal France.

Torch Relay cauldron facts and figures

• 20 units
• 1.35m in diameter for the ring
• 1.35m wide for the base
• 1.15m high, wheelchair accessible
• 95kg
• Materials: stainless steel for the ring, aluminium for the base

Heart of the Torch facts and figures

• 10cm in diameter
• 2mm thick
• 65g
• Material: steel cast at the ArcelorMittal site in Dunkirk (59), rolled at ArcelorMittal Florange (57) and laser-cut at ArcelorMittal Woippy (57), then finished by suppliers in France (mirror polishing, engraving, coating).
• 11,000 units manufactured for the 10,000 Olympic Torchbearers and the 1,000 Paralympic Torchbearers

Boilerplate Mathieu Lehanneur:
At the forefront of the global creative scene, Mathieu Lehanneur works grace the most prestigious public and private collections worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as well as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the SF-MoMA in San Francisco. His approach is profoundly multidisciplinary, spanning from collectible designs to architecture, artworks to products, and unique handcrafted pieces to cutting-edge technological creations.

Media Contact: 

medias.relaisdelaflamme@paris2024.org

SOURCE: Paris 2024