The architectural and viticultural wonders of the Côte d’Or

In the Côte d’Or area, the Olympic Torch Relay’s route began with the medieval city of Semur-en-Auxois. The cortege discovered its medieval stronghold, passing through the emblematic Porte Sauvigny gate and in front of the Collégiale Notre-Dame, a 13^th century Gothic church. The relay then explored the Morvan regional natural park, illuminating Saulieu and the Saint Andoche Basilica. In Beaune, pride of place was given to winemaking. The town is famous for its red wines and plays host to one of the sites of the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne, a network of wine related cultural and touristic centres.

The Olympic Torch Relay then had a date with history in Alise-Sainte-Reine, which is where the battle of Alesia took place, visiting the MuséoParc Alésia museum and park, which recounts this episode of the Gallic wars. The cortege then continued on to Source-Seine, which is home to the source of the Seine River, a green setting that also attracts visitors to its Gallo-Roman ruins. In Saint-Jean-de-Losne, the Olympic Torch visited an important river port. It then crossed the Saône River to reach the renowned Château du Clos de Vougeot. This wine estate produces wines that are among some of France’s most famous, making it a compulsory and emblematic stopping point on the Route des Grands Crus wine circuit, the “Champs-Élysées of Burgundy”.

On the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Dijon, the region’s viticultural and culinary heritage continued to enjoy the spotlight. The journey through the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy began with the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin which promotes the local wines and gastronomy and is a hub for preserving and sharing local know-how. The cortège then made its way through the city, crossing Place Darcy and Place Grangier. It visited the Saint Bénigne cathedral, the catholic church overlooking the historical centre, before heading to the celebration venue at Parc de la Colombière, the city’s 33-hectare green lung.

Wrestling flexes its muscles in Dijon

On its arrival in the capital of the Côte-d’Or, the Olympic Torch Relay was welcomed by the French Federation of Wrestling & related disciplines (FFLDA). Dijon is used to welcoming the sport’s emerging talents who come to train at the CREPS centre of excellence, which is the home of France’s national wrestling academy. The collective relay organised there endeavoured to highlight the people who enable wrestling enthusiasts to enjoy their sport as a leisure pursuit or competitively. 23 athletes, enthusiasts, volunteers or referees were led by Angélique Berthenet-Hidalgo, under-47 kg European Champion in 1996, who took part in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where she finished fourth in the under-48 kg category.

The wrestler was accompanied by Joël Coffard, who is an international referee committed to developing the sport, but also Marc Patte, a wrestler who has become chairman of the Bayeux Lutte Olympique club, which trains athletes of all ages and organises a range of competitions. The universal nature of the Games meant that the cortege was proud to welcome Aldo Martínez Hechavaria. The Cuban was crowned world champion in 1990 and also won two gold medals at the Pan-American Games, both of which enabled him to take part in the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992.

Champions, local celebrities and inspiring members of the general public carry the Olympic Torch to the cauldron

In Semur-en-Auxois, the Olympic Torch was given to Eszter Vigvariné, a volunteer for the L’Oeil Écoute association, which runs the town’s cinema and organises cultural and entertaining events in rural areas for and with young people. This work of transmitting to others is not dissimilar to what was accomplished by Alain Donnat. This former sports teacher has devoted his life to sport and education, to such an extent that he had a 700-metre-long guard of honour at the celebrations to mark his retirement at the Paul Fort junior high school in Is-sur-Tille. The video of this moment has been seen more than one million times on the web.

Once again, the 55^th stage put the spotlight on courage and excelling, which are qualities that define Bruno Collin, a visually impaired sportsman who ceaselessly pours his energy into his sport despite his visual disability. Breaking down the barriers of disability is also in the DNA of Corentin Le Guen. A rugby accident left him quadriplegic but he went on to join the French wheelchair rugby team, which he helped to triumph in the European Championship in 2022 and 2023, and took part in the Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. He is a major ambassador for his sport, just like fellow player Sébastien Verdin who was alongside him in Tokyo in 2020 as well as in Dijon today.

A variety of sports were highlighted by the almost 140 torchbearers who took it in turns to carry the Olympic Torch through the Côte-d’Or area. Alizée Agier, born in Semur-en-Auxois, represented karate, a discipline in which she has won several French, European and World Championship medals. Denis Chevrot, a member of the Rougeot Beaune Triathlon club and a two times Ironman European Champion, received a tribute as the relay visited his hometown. In Beaune, the Olympic Torch was passed on to tennis player Michaël Llodra, who won the doubles silver medal alongside Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the London Olympic Games in 2012. In the cortege, the former world number 21 rubbed shoulders with Denis Brogniart, a very popular French television presenter. Since 2002, the native of Dijon is famous for presenting Koh-Lanta, the French version of Survivor, and is also a sports enthusiast who takes part in races. The spotlight was then shone on breakdancing with Marlène Spahr, who has been practicing this style of dance she was 12 years old and who won a silver medal at the French championships in 2022, before it was the turn of running, in the guise of middle-distance specialist Alexis Miellet. Alexis won gold in the 3,000-metre steeplechase at the European Championships in Rome in 2024 and will be representing France at the Paris 2024 Games.

At the end of the day, Marine Lorphelin was the final torchbearer, rounding off this exceptional day. She is known to the general public thanks to her many beauty pageant titles, but the Burgundy native has also been a keen sportswoman since her childhood. The young lady, who is now a doctor, lit the celebration cauldron in the heart of the Parc de la Colombière.

Tomorrow, the 56^th stage of the Olympic Torch Relay will light up the Aube, an area whose natural charm is only matched by its rich and diverse heritage. It will be a memorable day for the cortege, which will travel through the medieval streets of Ervy-le-Châtel to the Lac d’Orient lake in Mesnil-Saint-Père, via the Camille Claudel museum in Nogent-sur-Seine, Clairvaux Abbey in Ville-sous-la-Ferté and Nigloland in Dolancourt. It will then head to Troyes, a city steeped in Renaissance heritage, where the spotlight will be shone on the vitality of local sporting life. Its exhibition centre called Le Cube will witness the lighting of the celebration cauldron on completion of the last relay.

Crédits : Paris 2024 / Alexis Goudeau / Sipa Press

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