The Olympic flame will not pass through Orne. After Creuse, Lot-et-Garonne or even Indre-et-Loire, the department says no to the passage of the Olympic flame before the Paris 2024 Olympics. A categorical refusal for financial reasons. In effect, the department must pay no less than 150,000 euros requested by the organizing committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to see the passage of the flame. For the department of Calvados, we do not yet know if the flame will pass there, but the departmental council is not “against the idea” and awaits even more details to decide.
150,000? 180,000 euros including tax in addition to the events next door? No, it’s way too expensive – Patrick Joubert, sports referent at CD61
Out of budget
Taking out 150,000 euros to receive the Olympic flame is not in the priorities of all departments before Paris 2024. It is a too much money in the eyes of Patrick Joubert, the sports referent at the Orne departmental council: “It’s too expensive because in fact, there is an inequity. A department of one million inhabitants will pay the same amount as a department of 300,000 inhabitants. So, at some point, you have to make choices. Yes, the flame is symbolic, it’s still something very strong! But we must not forget the whole local sports movement either. All our young people to whom we must devote resources so that they can benefit from actions, it is more important.”
What does it bring?
We thus know the answer in Orne, but it is still under consideration for the Calvados department. “It would be magical” reacted Patrick Osouf the president of the Departmental Olympic Committee of Calvados who explains what the passage of the Olympic flame in the department would bring: “It sheds light on the values of Olympism and then it highlights all the events that we can put in place around that. In addition, the work with the municipalities which are labeled Terre de JO 2024 The departmental council of Calvados is strongly involved in sport in the department, we are working on the creation of a departmental house of sports.This departmental house of sports, which will host a large number of committees and certain leagues , it could be something strong in the symbolism of seeing her arrive in front of this departmental sports house.