In town, in the countryside, in public areas, in private sites, the route of the Olympic flame must adapt to its environment and to complex security and organizational requirements to be implemented, taking into account the diversity routes.
Hence the dress rehearsal which will be organized on Friday March 22 in Aube, a territory which was not chosen at random.
Well known to the prefect coordinator for the security of the Paris 2024 games Thierry Mosimann (prefect of Aube between 2017 and 2019), the territory ticked many useful boxes for a large-scale evaluation.
Close to Paris, "it brings together a great diversity of sites with the heart of the city of Troyes, its agglomeration, the lakes of the Forêt d'Orient, Nigloland, the abbey of Clairvaux... So many varied configuration palettes which allow you to test different aspects of the system,” underlines Cécile Dindar, current prefect of Aube.
Read also Olympic torch relay: the Ministry of the Interior gives instructions to prefects to prevent hiccups
The fact that local authorities have been preparing for years together around different projects around the games (construction of sports infrastructures, applications to host international delegations) has also attracted the authorities.
“We have close relationships with Tony Estanguet (
president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee
) and Marie-Amélie Le Fur (
president of the French Paralympic and sports committee
), recalls Jérôme Bonnefoi, vice-president of the Aube department. .
Give yourself time to adjust 47 days before the arrival of the flame in France
This Friday, March 22, we will act as if the real flame was already there (
it will cross the Aube on July 13 and return on August 26 for the Paralympic Games
) with 300 people from Paris for the organization, almost 400 police officers and gendarmes for security and 120 volunteers to mark the route.
Objective: to be able to improve or correct the system in the 47 days preceding the arrival of the flame in France.
There will inevitably be an impact on parking and traffic “which must be sufficiently far from the convoy”, specifies Cécile Dindar.
The idea is to be in the real conditions of the passage of the flame even if everything will be done to minimize constraints, between privatization of public roads in the sectors which will be the subject of relays, and prioritization of traffic over time transfer between different sites.
The most recalcitrant will be fined.
Read also All the news from the Paris 2024 Olympics on leparisien.fr
In Troyes, the town hall is trying to communicate as widely as possible about the expected disruptions, particularly in mailboxes.
“Having the Summer Olympic Games on our territory is an opportunity that we should not relive,” wants to convince Frédéric Serra, deputy mayor in charge of sports.
In schools and colleges located near the route, timetables will be adapted.
“In Romilly-sur-Seine, the torch relay will impact the lunch break, an important moment for children's day,” notes Stéphane Lainé, secretary general of the National Education services in Aube.
“Primary school children will be able to stay on site with the organization of a festive picnic and activities supported by the schools.
In colleges, day students will exceptionally be offered the opportunity to have a meal in the establishment, thanks to the department.
".
Two procession formats to experiment with
Like a stage day, two separate processions will be organized to test the two relay formats: a first “Engagement” convoy, made up of 60 vehicles over 1 and a half km, tested in Nogent-sur-Seine, Romilly-sur-Seine and Troyes.
And a smaller “Agile” convoy of 14 vehicles, tested in Clairvaux, Dolancourt (at Nigloland park) and Mesnil-Saint-Père near Lake Orient.
A necessary preparation for an unprecedented organization during a flame journey.
“We have a first classic convoy which will go from point A to point B with different stages, which look a bit like the Tour de France,” explains Hélène Géronimi, sub-prefect for national coordination for games security.
“And alongside this, Paris 2024 wanted to respond favorably to elected officials who wanted to highlight the department’s economic points.”
Hence the organization of a 2nd convoy, independent of the 1st, which will leave for the sites concerned on shorter routes.
If two torches will therefore potentially be in circulation, they will never be lit at the same time and will only be visible during relays in the municipalities concerned.
Protect wearers
The main concern?
Protect the flame bearers with in particular “a security cordon specific to the torchbearers, with 115 police officers and gendarmes on a daily basis on the 2 convoys.
A fairly long procession, made up of vehicles from the Ministry of the Interior, partners and organizers, with protection dedicated to the hand of the prefects.
Mobile force units dedicated to the event and which will follow us from the 1st to the last day, without forgetting the staking, worked with the prefectures”, lists Hélène Géronimi.
Read alsoOJ Paris 2024: Oudéa-Castéra calls for “sanctions” after “racist attacks” against Aya Nakamura
Above all, an organizational test, which takes into account arrival and departure times, hotel reservations and the torchbearers' outfits.
“Our teams, who are currently training on the management of the security cordon, will be required to carry out internal maneuvers to see if what was achieved on flat ground in a military camp is valid in another area,” she adds.
Finally, for the curious who would like to see the Olympic flame from March 22 in Aube, you will still have to wait.
The torch will not be lit before its official arrival in France, on May 8.