Paris 2024: What makes the Olympic cauldron in the French capital unique

When Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec carried the Olympic torch and lit the cauldron at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony , they set wheels in motion. The ring of fire was then carried by a hot-air balloon into the Parisian sky to officially mark the beginning of the Paris 2024.

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Instead of the usual ground-bound cauldron used at most Olympic Games, the special edition for Paris 2024 is intended as a tribute to the first ride taken in a hydrogen-filled gas balloon — made in 1783 by two of that balloon’s French inventors.

They departed back then from the Tuileries Garden, near the Louvre Museum in the heart of Paris — and where the 2024 Olympic cauldron was lit before appearing to float into the sky.

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Venez profiter de la vue sur la vasque de la flamme olympique de #Paris2024 depuis les fenêtres ou la terrasse du musée d'Orsay 🔥 !
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Come and enjoy the view of the cauldron of the #Paris2024 Olympic flame from the windows or terrace of the Musée d'Orsay! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kEVDJDutM4

— Musée d'Orsay (@MuseeOrsay) July 26, 2024

What makes the Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron unique

The cauldron is a ring of flames 7 meters (about 23 feet) in diameter, topped by a 30-meter high (about 100 feet) and 22-meter wide (about 72 feet) hot-air balloon.

It reflects France’s spirit of daring, creativity and innovation and French designer Mathieu Lehanneur created it as a symbol of liberty.

The cauldron is displayed in the heart of the city, in the Tuileries Garden and aligned with the Louvre Museum, the La Concorde obelisk, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

Every day during the Games, 10,000 people will be able to get up close to the cauldron on the ground, from 11am to 7pm.

The cauldron will take the hot-air balloon flight every day to a height of 60 metres and be lit from sunset until 2am.

The cauldron is a 100% electric flame without fuel thanks to EDF (Electricite de France - country’s electric utility company), made of water and light.