Blazing 'Olympic Flame' Inside Hot Air Balloon... More Vivid Than the Real Thing [Paris Olympics]

Behind the Making of the Olympic Cauldron
French Designer Mathieu Lehanneur Interviewed by Foreign Media
"Due to Confidentiality, Only Some Parts Like Balloons Were Tested"
Unexpected Rise as a Paris Landmark

French designer Mathieu Loiseau was breathless on the evening of the 26th of last month (local time) just before the highlight of the 2024 Paris Olympic opening ceremony?the lighting of the cauldron. He was the mastermind behind the hot air balloon cauldron visible in the heart of Paris. Since this event attracted global attention, hundreds or thousands of tests were needed to ensure the cauldron functioned properly, but this was the first time it was fully assembled and lifted.

2024 Paris Olympics Hot Air Balloon Cauldron
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The hot air balloon cauldron in the Tuileries Garden was successfully lifted by the lighting from former French female track athlete Marie-Jos? P?rec and active judo athlete Teddy Riner. After the opening ceremony, designer Loiseau posted on his social media with a photo of the hot air balloon cauldron, expressing his emotion: "Finally, it rose into the sky. I am truly happy," and "I will never forget this moment."

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Loiseau revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the cauldron's creation. He explained that while some components such as the balloon and flame system were tested for proper flight, secrecy was maintained, and the complete cauldron could not be lifted until the opening ceremony.

French designer Mathieu Loiseau, who designed the hot air balloon cauldron for the 2024 Paris Olympics
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The cauldron is the highlight of the Olympics. Every Olympic Games, the design of the cauldron and the final torchbearer receive worldwide attention. Maintaining secrecy is crucial. Traditionally, summer and winter Olympic cauldrons have mainly been cup-shaped. This time, the Olympic cauldron attracted interest as a gigantic hot air balloon approximately 20 meters in diameter. A large balloon lifts a circular cauldron-shaped structure into the sky, allowing the cauldron to be viewed from the city.

It was also the first case where the cauldron did not use real fire. The circular cauldron is illuminated by 40 LEDs (light-emitting diodes) instead of actual flames. The smoke spreading around is not from real fire but a type of water mist. Since this Olympics pursues eco-friendliness, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee explained that this method was used instead of fossil fuels.

Designer Loiseau said, "The most important thing to me was seeing the completed cauldron simultaneously with everyone else," adding, "This was the first time for a cauldron of this shape, a flying form, and one that did not use real fire, so there were many challenges." He stated that he was inspired by the ancient Greek Olympic flame lighting and created the cauldron to symbolize liberty, one of France's national principles of 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.'

2024 Paris Olympics Hot Air Balloon Cauldron [Image Source=UPI Yonhap News]

The cauldron is connected to the ground by thick cables. During the day, the cables are pulled to place it over the pond in the Tuileries Garden, and in the evening, the cables are released to lift it 60 meters into the sky until 2 a.m. The Tuileries Garden is the site where the Montgolfier brothers launched the first manned hot air balloon in 1783.

The hot air balloon cauldron has become one of the top attractions for Olympic tourists in Paris, a city with countless tourist sites. During the Olympics, viewing the cauldron is free to the public by advance reservation for 10,000 people daily, and already 120,000 people have booked. The free tickets distributed online sold out within two days. Tourists without tickets wait outside the Tuileries Garden until the cauldron rises to take photos.

As the cauldron's popularity grows, there are opinions to keep it after the Olympics instead of dismantling it. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said, "The cauldron and the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower are part of the Olympic legacy we want to preserve," adding, "We will try to keep them in Paris."

Designer Loiseau was surprised by this atmosphere. He said, "It feels like an experiment," and added, "We put a lot of emotion and pride into making it, finding a good location, including all elements, and waiting, but it was hard to predict it would be loved this much."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.