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Paris Olympics 2024: How an Olympic torch is lighting up lives
CGTN Europe
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25/07/2024
Ten thousand people will carry the Olympic flame on its relay across France.
It's now approaching its final destination: Paris, for the opening ceremony on Friday.
Our correspondent Ross Cullen met one of the torch bearers.
#olympics #paris24 #torch
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News
Transcript
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00:00
This is Anthony Desjardins, one of the Olympic torchbearers.
00:04
He ran in the relay just five days after the flame arrived on French soil.
00:09
The 41-year-old says he was very nervous in the moments leading up to grasping the torch for the first time.
00:15
Bizarrely, as soon as I stepped off the bus to go carry the flame, all the stress disappeared.
00:23
I felt as though I was on cloud nine.
00:25
I was really proud because I was carrying the flame and also a message.
00:30
And that message comes from experience.
00:32
Anthony suffers from Parkinson's disease, having been diagnosed three years ago at the age of 38.
00:39
The illness is progressing but is in check thanks to treatment.
00:44
Anthony wants to raise public awareness of the number of young people with the disease
00:48
through his social media profiles and a series of videos on YouTube.
00:53
He was one of 10,000 people who was chosen to be a torchbearer,
00:57
selected for his commitment and action in bringing sport to people who have Parkinson's.
01:03
I have a project called Ciel Montparquis, where I actually take a step back from the camera
01:10
and let other people with the disease tell their stories.
01:13
It's a first-person type of program.
01:15
With this, I try to inform as many people as possible.
01:18
My goal is to grow this YouTube channel and reach a maximum number of people.
01:23
Anthony took part in the relay in the southern city of Montpellier,
01:27
close to where the Olympic sailing competition will be taking place.
01:31
The Olympic flame has travelled thousands of kilometres across the country,
01:35
from the capital city to the overseas territories to the snowy peaks of the Alps
01:40
and here, the sun-baked south of the country.
01:43
Anthony, like all the torchbearers, was presented with keepsakes to mark his part in the relay,
01:49
a memento of his role in creating history in the first summer games in France for 100 years.
01:56
Ross Cullen, CGTN, Montpellier, in southern France.
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