Marseille's Old Port gets ready to for arrival of the Olympic flame

(8 May 2024)
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Marseille, France - 8 May 2024
1. Wide of large Marseille lettering on ground in front of Old Port
2. Various of police, security and police vehicles at port
3. French Sports Minister Amelie-Oudea Castera speaking to member of public
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Amelie-Oudea Castera, French Sports Minister:
“For everyone involved this is a culmination of years of work that are now coming together. This joy in seeing wonderful weather, this city, the smiles on peoples’ faces, this enthusiasm showing that things are really crystalising here. The foghorn has sounded. The Belem has arrived in the Bay. The old port, we can feel it, it’s preparing. It’s here and this is going to be a day I think of incredible intensity.”
5. Wide of public looking out at port
6. Riot police on guard
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Amelie-Oudea Castera, French Sports Minister:
“We really want to make sure that the beginning of the torch relay here in France will drive enthusiasm, will drive a sense of pride for the French people and that it will also give us, you know, a big moment of celebration, of joy, a time for sharing now.”
8. Notre Dame de la Garde
9. Wide of public at square
10. Close of Marseille City Hall
11. SOUNDBITE (French) Yannick Ohanessian, Marseille Deputy Mayor in Charge of Security:
“We succeeded in the incredible feat of welcoming the Pope to Marseille and we’ve been given the means to succeed in welcoming the Olympic flame. We are obviously in a particular global context that has obviously required greater means of security in to welcome the Olympic flame. This is in fact the welcoming of the Olympic Games. This is the start of the Olympic Games tonight for the nation, for the country, for France and this is where it’s happening and we had to avail ourselves of all the means to succeed in this event.”
12. Police drone in sky
13. Wide of crowd with police drone above
14. Paris 2024 t-shirts and caps on sale
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Vuarambon, Marseille resident:
“I want to show my kids that we can walk freely even though there is a risk, I want to show them that we have to go on the street and enjoy these kinds of moments. And for myself I don’t really like all this kind of security barriers and stuff around here. I prefer when it’s more open. But we will see. We will see tonight because I think the main event will be tonight. For the moment it’s cool, not too much people we can walk around. I like it.”
16. Public looking at port
17. Various of Old Port
STORYLINE:
A mix of heavy security and festive popular interest at Marseille's Old Port was seen on Wednesday as everyone readied themselves for the arrival of the Olympic flame Wednesday evening.

Paris Games organisers have promised “fantastic" celebrations amid the arrival of the Belem - the majestic ship carrying the Olympic torch from Greece.

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea Castera told the AP this was the "culmination of years of work" that will make for a day of "incredible intensity."

Marseille's Deputy Mayor, Yannick Ohanessian, meanwhile, told journalists that his city successfully welcomed Pope Francis last September and was therefore confident it would make a success of what he deemed to be today's start of Olympic Games in France.

The torch was lit in Greece last month before it was officially handed to France.

It left Athens aboard a three-mast ship named Belem, which was first used in 1896, and spent twelve days at sea.



AP video shot by Oleg Cetinic



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