After a glowing mechanical horse carrying the Olympic flag flew down the Seine—and images and videos from Olympics past were spliced together into a rather affecting highlights reel, representing the achievements of athletes from around the world—a mysterious cloaked figure marched solemnly down the Trocadero, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, before the Olympic Hymn played.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Then, following remarks from Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024, and Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, King of Clay Rafael Nadal, Carl Lewis, Nadia Comăneci, and Serena Williams boarded a boat with the Olympic torch—heading in the opposite direction. Where were they headed? To meet tennis legend Amélie Mauresmo, who, after a jog up to the Louvre, passed the torch on to a series of athletes including former basketball player Tony Parker, former handball players Michaël Guigou Allison Pineau, and 100-year-old former cyclist Charles Coste.