"There are priorities in life." Following Sophie Durand's example, who, in Lagrasse, a small village of 550 inhabitants in the Aude region of southern France, made her two daughters miss school on Thursday, May 16, to see the Olympic flame, many French people have been coming out to watch the torch relay over the past 10 days. The start of the journey to Paris for the day of the Olympic opening ceremony on July 26 has been a popular success.
From Marseille, where it set off on May 8 and 9, to Toulouse, where it arrived on Friday, May 17, via Millau, Montpellier and Perpignan, the Olympic flame has been attracting crowds that "are a little higher than we expected," according to Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Daily feedback has shown that "it's systematically above what we expected," said the Ministry, which cited an attendance 20% to 30% above projections.
Although the public authorities have said they are pleasantly surprised by the relay's start, they have been emphasizing for several weeks – even months – that this would be the first tangible experience of the Games for the French, and would mark a turning point in terms of enthusiasm.
There were, however, some doubts as to whether these assertions could be substantiated, not least because this torch relay, unlike the Tour de France for example, is taking place, for the most part, during a period when the country is still working.
The success of the event in Marseille showed from the outset that there were high expectations. The question was whether this success could be duplicated, given Marseille's unique characteristics: The arrival of the flame on the three-masted Belem and festivities over two public holidays.
The rest of the route through the Var (southeast), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (southeast) and Bouches-du-Rhône (south) regions confirmed this popular enthusiasm. However, here too, the context was unique, as it coincided with the long weekend of Ascension, a public holiday for many people.
The first real test took place on Monday, May 13, the first working day, when the relay passed through Millau, Sète and Montpellier (all in southern France). A second test took place on Wednesday, May 15, when the weather was fickle in Perpignan (south). In both cases, this did not dampen the crowds.
"It's a great party. It's attractive, it's fun, it's family-friendly, and the pictures are incredible," said a delighted spokesperson for the Ministry of Sport and the Olympic Games, who believed that the success could be partly explained by "the choice made by the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee to rely on the departments" to organize the relay. "It's the right scale." Some 60 departments have signed up for the project, each investing €180,000.
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