Torch Relay Stage 61: Discovering the Val-d’Oise

Torch Relay Stage 61: Discovering the Val-d'Oise. PARIS 2024

The Olympic Torch Relay returned to the Ile-de-France region to light up the jewels of the Val-d’Oise. From the Vexin nature reserve in Théméricourt to the dynamic towns of Pontoise, Cergy and Argenteuil, it continued to raise the profile of Paris 2024 less than 10 days before the Opening Ceremony.

In Sarcelles, the focus was on the swimming Team Relay with five-time World and European champion Camille Lacourt. Other figures, such as fencer Jean-Paul Tony-Helissey and French football referee Stéphanie Frappart, also contributed to an unforgettable day. In Soisy-sous-Montmorency, Brigitte Deydier, a French judo athlete who won silver at the 1988 Games Games when it was first introduced as a demonstration sport, lit the cauldron. 

Sustainability is at the heart of Paris 2024, with the aim of halving the event’s carbon footprint and supporting carbon offset projects to compensate for unavoidable emissions. This programme supports 13 carbon avoidance or sequestration projects, four of which are in France and have been awarded the Low Carbon Label, including one in the Montmorency forest. Its proximity to the Stade de France makes it a key project for Paris 2024. 

This action is all the more important for the fifth most visited forest in the Île-de-France region, which has been severely affected by the chestnut blight and was classified as being in crisis in 2018. The Paris 2024 initiative aims to rehabilitate 42.4 hectares of damaged land by planting a diversity of 16 forest tree species, to make it more resilient, while ensuring public access and preserving the quality of the landscape. 

Five-time world swimming champion Camille Lacourt was one of the stars of the day. PRÉFET DU VAL-D'OISE
Five-time world swimming champion Camille Lacourt was one of the stars of the day. PRÉFET DU VAL-D’OISE

The second Team Relay organised by the French Swimming Federation at the Sarcelles pool was an opportunity to promote the diversity of the sport and the ‘sauv’nage’ programme, which allows people to learn the basics of swimming in a pool. It was led by the legendary backstroke specialist Camille Lacourt, a five-time World and European champion. He was accompanied by 23 other Torchbearers, all of whom share his passion for swimming.

Champions such as Stéphan Caron, bronze medallist in the 100m freestyle at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Christophe Marchand, bronze at the 1993 European Championships and coach of CS Clichy 92 Natation, and Lionel Poirot, 4x100m freestyle champion and 4x200m freestyle silver medallist at the Mediterranean Games, were cheered on by the crowd. 

They were joined by Thilasay Vongsaya, an emerging French swimmer aiming to qualify for the Los Angeles Games in 2028, Bénédicte Tancrez, who has been an artistic swimmer since the age of 10, and Nicolas Douady, president of the Draveil swimming club. 

Iconic football referee Stéphanie Frappart carries the Olympic Torch. PARIS 2024
Iconic football referee Stéphanie Frappart carries the Olympic Torch. PARIS 2024

Nearly 150 torchbearers took the Torch to the four corners of the Val d’Oise. Among them were Maureen Nisima, a swordswoman who won individual gold at the 2010 World Championships, Jean-Paul Tony-Helissey, a foil specialist and silver medallist in the team competition at the 2016 Olympic Games, and Johan Yvalun, who has completed 20 marathons and came 4th at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. 

In Pontoise, Julien Bartoli, two-time world champion in the laser run, was present. Just like Stéphanie Frappart, the first woman to referee a men’s professional football match in the Ligue 2 and twice voted the best women’s football referee in the world. Judo was also represented by Brigitte Deydier, lit the cauldron. After winning three world championships and four European championships in the 1980s, she won a silver medal at Seoul’88. 

Other Torchbearers with inspiring stories also carried the Torch, such as day-opener Émilie Pouget, a table tennis lover for more than 20 years who played in the 2 Division. Later, David Rotondi, the Chambly councillor responsible for sport, took part in the relay in Cormeilles-en-Parisis. He divides his time between karate lessons and acting as an advisor to the ‘Land of Games’ community, creating a dynamic sporting and associative network.



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