According to a source involved in the deliberations, the Olympic flame will burn in the Tuileries Garden in front of the Louvre Museum during the Paris Games in July and August.
The decision to position the Olympic cauldron near the tourist hub in the city center was made “several weeks ago,” according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The Tuileries emerged as the first choice because of the ease of access for the public,” a source familiar with the matter stated.
There had been conjecture that the flame might be placed on the Eiffel Tower, but organizers also considered putting it in the courtyard of the Louvre, the world’s largest museum, according to the source.
The Tuileries “is a location that is readily secured. Security forces will be on duty around the clock to protect the flame, and the general public will be able to see it thanks to the raised sidewalks around the area,” the insider said.
The lighting of the cauldron is a pivotal event in the Olympics opening ceremony, indicating the official start of the worldwide sporting spectacular.
It was unclear whether the cauldron will be lighted inside the Tuileries or moved there after the historic opening ceremony on July 26, which is scheduled to take place on boats down the neighboring river Seine.
The name of the person tasked with lighting it is unknown, and information regarding the opening ceremony, which will take place outside the athletics stadium for the first time, are highly guarded.
Organizers have promised to make the first Olympics in Paris in 100 years “iconic”.
Symbolic location
When asked about the cauldron, the Paris organizing committee responded in a statement to AFP that “we will not confirm or deny any of the reports that are circulating.” There have already been numerous rumours about its whereabouts.
Organisers want the cauldron to be “placed in the heart of Paris for its symbolism and so that it is visible for everyone,” the statement continued.
The Paris Games will be held in various places throughout the city, including temporary stadiums near the Eiffel Tower and the Place de la Concorde, which borders the Tuileries Gardens.
The park was constructed in 1664 at the request of the so-called “Sun King” Louis XIV and is closely linked to the defunct French royal dynasty as well as the anti-monarchist Revolution of 1789.
The torch relay for Paris 2024 will begin on April 16, when a flame will be carried from Olympia in Greece and transported by sea to Marseille aboard the Belum, a three-masted 19th-century French tall ship.
The torch will next pass through 400 French cities and dozens of tourist destinations on a 12,000-kilometer (7,500-mile) trek throughout the peninsula and overseas French possessions in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific.
During the opening ceremony of the most recent Covid-affected Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the hydrogen-powered cauldron inside the hauntingly empty main athletics stadium.
A second one was installed on the beachfront near Tokyo Bay.