The flame that will light up the 2024 Paris Olympics will be ignited, as tradition dictates, in the ruins of Olympia on April 16 at 10:30 AM (CEST), the IOC announced on Tuesday, before embarking on its journey to France.

Following the ceremony, where the fire will be ignited using the rays of the sun, the flame will make a brief journey through Greece and on April 26 will be handed over to a delegation from Paris 2024 at the Panathinaikó Stadium in Athens, where the first modern-era Games were held. It will spend the night at the French embassy and the next day will set sail on the 'Belem', the oldest three-masted sailing ship still in use, bound for Marseille.

This French port, which will host the sailing and football competitions during the Games, will be reached on May 8 after crossing the Mediterranean.

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The flame will then travel throughout France, carried by 10,000 relay runners, before lighting the Olympic cauldron on July 26 during the opening ceremony.