Bach has been one of those entrusted with carrying the torch in this final stretch before the cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony. After completing his scheduled segment, he passed the torch to Emma Terho, President of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.

The torch relay began with the lighting of the flame on 16 April in Olympia, Greece. Shortly thereafter, the flame left the Greek region at the end of the same month aboard the historic three-masted schooner ‘Belem’, which sailed from the Athenian port of Piraeus to Marseille. From there, it has travelled through cities, towns, and iconic locations in France.

The French capital is counting down the hours to its grand moment, which begins at 19:30, 100 years after the last Olympic Games were held in Paris. Bach will continue to play a prominent role at that moment, as he will read the manifesto to open the Olympics.

Bach was born in 1953 in the German city of Würzburg, where he first took an interest in an unusual sport, fencing. He soon turned professional, and at the age of 20, he won a silver medal at the World Championships. In 1976, he competed in his first and only Olympic Games, where he achieved a gold medal in fencing, in the team foil event.

As an athlete, he ventured into sports politics and secured his first significant role in 1981, when he was appointed to the IOC commission for new athletes. A year later, he joined the German National Olympic Committee. Gradually, he climbed the ranks until, in 2013, he stood for the position of IOC President. Bach was chosen for the role and has held the position since then, which he will vacate in 2025.