There were a wrestling Team Relay in Boulogne-sur-Mer, a stop at the Louvre-Lens Museum to illustrate the links between ancient works of art and the Olympic Games, before the torch received a rousing welcome at RC Lens' Stade Bollaert, made all the more intense by the fact that Éric Sikora, the legendary former player for the 'Crimson and Gold', was the last torchbearer at Lens-Liévin. 

The Pas-de-Calais is a land of contrasts, with a wide range of landscapes, activities and historic buildings. It is linked to the rest of the world by its coastline, looks to the future with its 125 secondary schools and is also deeply rooted in its rural areas. It is a land shaped by hard work and sweat, a reminder of a time when miners toiled underground. The slagheaps, a legacy of the coalfields, are now part of the local history and landscape. 

The Pas-de-Calais is also a working-class region where solidarity and integration have always been cherished values, as evidenced by the impressive number of sports clubs. Thanks to the quality of their infrastructures, these clubs, which include elite, amateur, para-sport and adapted sports, help to unite and bring people together, with sport as a binding element. 

The urban community of Lens-Liévin (CALL), made up of 36 communes and 250,000 inhabitants, is also proud of its past while looking to the future. The area cultivates its uniqueness to attract businesses and be at the forefront of innovation: the First World War memorials and the Louvre-Lens Museum make it a popular destination for history and culture lovers. 

Lens is also a sporting centre, with its historic football club, the Racing Club de Lens, and the Liévin Arena, with its 35,000 m² dedicated to sport. The CALL has contributed to the creation of the Vivalley Campus, a 110-hectare site dedicated to relaxation and well-being. The Torch Relay was also an opportunity to demonstrate the vitality of the local sporting scene throughout the day. 

In Calais, the day began with eyes raised to the sky as the Torch passed near the 75-metre red brick belfry that dominates the city centre. After a visit to Saint-Omer, it lit up another belfry, that of Boulogne-sur-Mer, a former keep built in the 12th century. It also passed through Berck-sur-Mer, visited Arras and its cathedral, before winding through the Parc d'Olhain, the outdoor activity centre in Maisnil-lès-Ruitz. 

In Lens-Liévin, the Torch lit up the Louvre-Lens Museum, where it was taken through the time exhibition, a symbolic step for the day and a reminder of the links between the ancient artworks on display and the values of the Olympics. The convoy visited the Bollaert-Delelis stadium, where locals support their 'Blood Red and Gold' football team. The convoy then arrived at Place Jean Jaurès, between the Saint Léger church and City Hall. 

Boulogne-sur-Mer was the venue for the Team Relay dedicated to wrestling, a sport that was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The choice of this sport was a natural one, given the results of the Entente Lutte Côte d'Opale, chaired by Lise Legrand, a medallist at Athens 2004. Although she did not carry the torch herself, she conveyed the significance of the moment to the young members of her club who had been chosen to carry it.

Régine Le Gleut-Leturcq, who has officiated at five Olympic Games and continues to train wrestling enthusiasts, was the captain. She was accompanied by two-time U23 European champion Emma Luttenauer, Zoé Couvreur, a regular at regional and national competitions, Christian Golliot, a volunteer who has been involved in the sport for over 50 years, and former coach Richard Chelmowski. 

The Torchbearers took turns to form a long Olympic human chain across the Pas-de-Calais. Among them were Éric Srecki, one of France's most decorated swordsmen with Olympic gold medals in Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992), and Philippe Lamblin, a former 400-metre runner and current chairman of the French Athletics Federation. 

Racing Club de Lens were, of course, represented by their president Joseph Oughourlian, while club legend Éric Sikora had the honour of lighting the cauldron. One of the few footballers to have spent his entire career with the same club, he also holds the record for most appearances for RC Lens in the top flight. Sikora is now in charge of the club's academy graduates. 

Other athletes with inspiring stories also carried the Torch, including disabled athletes Karine Boucher (para-golf), Théotime Malbesin (para-athletics) and Louis Leroy, who runs marathons despite his disability. By carrying the Olympic Torch, Julien Mameaux was recognised for his sporting achievements, in particular his 5,000 km bike ride across Canada and his participation in a 100 km ultra trail. 

There were also many volunteers who shared their passion for sport on the ground, such as Aurélie Remoleux (athletics) or Tristan Hamel (tennis). As for Ludovic Vamouille, he is trying to popularise a new sport, cardio-goal, which involves throwing a ball through hoops placed vertically at a height. 

True to its values of sharing and solidarity, the Olympic Torch Relay also gave some people the opportunity to raise the flag for their everyday concerns. Estelle Ruffier is committed to improving research into cystic fibrosis and the quality of life of patients suffering from the disease. Nicolas Karasiewics, visually impaired since birth and a dedicated volunteer, has embarked on a new career in journalism.