The torch relay ahead of the Paris Olympics reached the French capital for the first time on Sunday, with organisers hoping to build enthusiasm for the Games among the city's sceptical residents. The flame was first glimpsed during the traditional military parade held every year on Bastille Day and then began its tour around the city from the Champs-Elysees.

"The greatness of this country lies not only in its history but in its ability to forge alliances," Macron declared during the National Day celebrations in 2023. The President has not found an agreement to ease the current political instability, which has been reflected in today's parade.

The route was full of symbolism, breathtaking views and places of remembrance. The Lac de Madine and a rowing relay on the Meuse were the highlights of a relay that ended with three-time judo world champion Amandine Buchard lighting the cauldron.

The Olympic torch has returned to metropolitan France after an emotionally charged Ocean Relay. To celebrate its return, freediver Alice Modolo symbolically retrieved it from the sea in the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer, the birthplace of global freediving.

The Olympic Torch continues its epic journey around mainland France, this time weaving through nature and heritage from Saint-Malo through the enchanting Brocéliande Forest, to Rennes, in the heart of Brittany.

Former footballer Christian Karembeu shared that he has tragically lost two family members amid the recent surge of violence in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia.

After a day's rest, the Olympic Torch stopped off in the Indre département on Monday. With its picturesque villages, castles and mansions, fields of grain and many hiking trails, it is also a land of sport and the perfect place to get away from it all.

This year's Cannes Film Festival red carpet will shine even brighter, as the Olympic torch will be among the stars to ascend the famous steps this 21 May, carried by five-time French Paralympic athlete Arnaud Assoumani, Agence France-Presse reported Monday.

The fourth leg of the Olympic Torch Relay has made another stop in the Bouches-du-Rhône. After the arrival of the Olympic Torch and the first stage in Marseille, other key sites in the region were highlighted on the way to Arles, the host city of the stage.

Amidst tight security measures and shows of emotion from some 150,000 Olympic enthusiasts, the 19th-century three-masted barque Belem docked at the Mediterranean port just 12 days after it departed from Greece with the flame set to highlight the Paris 2024 Games.

After disembarking in Marseille from Olympia,Greece this Wednesday, 8 May, the Olympic flame will travel throughout France, including overseas territories, for 80 days until arriving in Paris for the opening ceremony of the Games on 26 July.

Since the creation of the modern Games in 1896, the Olympic flame, which will arrive in Marseille aboard the Belem sailboat next Wednesday, has experienced several chaotic and bizarre episodes, Agence France-Presse reports. 

A French ecological association has refused to carry the Olympic torch because of the presence of official sponsor Coca-Cola, whose cans are among the "most collected" rubbish when cleaning the coastline, it was announced on Monday.

Next month, Marseille is set to witness a monumental event as the Olympic torch arrives from Greece. On Friday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that approximately 6,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure the utmost security during this historic occasion.

 With Olympic spirit heating up worldwide, Greece handed over the Olympic flame of the 2024 Games to the Paris hosts at the Athens marble Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896.