A jogger in south-west France has paid tribute to the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics by running a route in the shape of an athlete holding the Olympic Torch.
Laurent Négrel, from Nîmes (Gard, Occitanie), ran an 11.6 km route around the city, and tracked his way with the running app Strava.
Strava ‘draws’ the runner’s route using GPS, and shows a map of the run at the end. Depending on the runner’s settings, the route can be public and anyone using the app can see it. Mr Négrel shared his achievement, to the delight of many other app users.
Mr Négrel’s jog is aptly entitled ‘Flamme Olympique’, and shows a detailed route that traces a shape of a runner, arms outstretched, holding the Olympic Torch aloft.
100 days to go
The creative jog comes at an opportune time; today (April 17) marks exactly 100 days to go until the Olympic Games begin in Paris. The real Olympic Torch will arrive in the city on July 26, in time for the Opening Ceremony.
The flame is resistant to rain and wind, and stays alight for the entirety of the Olympics and Paralympics. It is intended to symbolise international peace and unity between people.
250,000 new tickets on sale today
A screenshot of the Official Ticketing page of Paris 2024 Olympic Gamestickets.paris2024.org
A quarter of a million new tickets to the Games have gone on sale today, 50% of which will cost €100 or less.
All sports are included in the new round of sales, organisers said, but some are only available in “limited numbers”.
The lowest-price tickets are going for just €24, including seats for riding events in the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles. Tickets to see the French football team start at €30, while basketball tickets start at €50.
Other tickets available include 15,000 for swimming events at the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre; 10,000 for artistic gymnastics in Bercy; 35 000 for beach volleyball at the Stade Tour Eiffel; 12 000 for tennis at Roland-Garros; 12,000 for table tennis at Arena Paris Sud, and 2,000 for judo at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.
Tickets to the Opening Ceremony are also available, and while the lowest-cost entry costs €90 for a Category E ticket, the top Category A costs a rather more eye-watering €2,700.
The Opening Ceremony is to be the first to take place outside of a large arena, with athletes scheduled to sail up the River Seine. However, the ceremony has faced some controversy in recent days, including worries about security, train strikes, and the safety of the river.
