2024 Olympics: What revolutionary technology is hidden in the Olympic cauldron ?

© Paris 2024/Raphaël Lafargue

This is undoubtedly one of the most iconic images of the 2024 Olympic Games. At the end of the opening ceremony, athletes Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec lit the Olympic cauldron, marking the official start of the competition. Far from a simple flame, it is a technology specially designed by EDF that allows it to light up these games.

100% electric flame

Every evening at dusk, during the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame rises majestically into the sky, illuminating the Tuileries Gardens, a stone's throw from the famous Louvre Museum. The cauldron then reaches a height of 60 meters and remains visible until 2 a.m. If the Olympic flame is a tradition of the Olympic Games, Paris stands out for the originality of its own, developed by designer Mathieu Lehanneur.

Because usually, the cauldron remains on the ground in the Olympic stadium throughout the Olympic Games. Since the French capital did not organize the opening ceremony in a stadium, the organizers took some liberties. “With a flying cauldron, we wanted to pay tribute to the spirit of audacity, creativity, innovation – and sometimes madness! &#8211 of France, at the heart of the DNA of Paris 2024 ”, enthused Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024.

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In addition to its impressive dimensions, 30 meters high in total and a flame ring 7 meters in diameter, the cauldron is powered by a 100% electric flame for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games. And it is EDF that is behind this innovative technology.

« This “electric revolution” was made possible thanks to the monumental work carried out by our teams and designer Mathieu Lehanneur. Their creativity and innovative strength made it possible to design a flame without the combustion of fossil fuels, a flame made of water and light ”, said Luc Rémont, Chairman and CEO of EDF.

A basin to pay tribute to the invention of the hot air balloon

The presence of the balloon is no accident. It is also a tribute to the invention of the hot air balloon in the 17th century. The first hot air balloon flight took place in Versailles in 1783. A century later, in 1878, the French engineer Henri Giffard invented the captive balloon, composed of a gas balloon and a steam winch. The idea is to continue the tradition of French innovation initiated by the Montgolfier brothers, by proposing a modern and ecological solution for the Olympic flame.

Every day during the Games, 10,000 people can approach the cauldron free of charge. However, a reservation is required. If you don't want to miss any of the different sports competitions, find out how to follow the Olympics on television, as well as the specific applications to download.

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