The Margin: Paris 2024 Olympic torch revealed: New torch made of recycled steel to reduce carbon footprint

The torch, which was created with the help of French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, will be carried from Olympia, Greece, to Paris beginning on May 8, with 10,000 torchbearers taking turns to carry it, and the last torchbearer will light the cauldron at the opening ceremony.

“Designing the Torch for the Games is a designer’s dream, one that comes around once in a lifetime, like an extraordinary encounter with history,” Lehanneur said. “Ritualistic and magical in equal measure, the Torch is a mythical object. A symbol of cohesion and sharing, it really does play a key role in the Games.

Lehanneur said his design took inspiration from three major themes: equality, water and peacefulness.

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Each torch weighs 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) and is 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) tall. Pictures of how the Olympic torch transformed over the years can be found here.

The first Olympic torch was used at the 1936 Berlin Summer Games and was inspired by practices from ancient Greece, the place where the first Olympics took place.

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris begin July 26.