Olympic torch taken to Hauteville House on way to Paris
The Olympic torch made a surprise visit to Guernsey yesterday on its tour through the hosting country.
Victor Hugo’s former residence, Hauteville House, was donated to the City of Paris in 1927 by Victor Hugo’s descendants, and as part of the Olympic torch relay for Paris 2024, the torch and its entourage attended the house as part of the tour.
The unexpected visit came in perfect timing as the day before Alastair Chalmers earned himself a place at the Olympic Games.
Dame Mary Perkins was chosen to be a torchbearer for her work during the Island Games last year.
‘Guernsey really is so good at sport, sport starts very young here and the clubs encourage people to take it further,’ she said.
‘We punch above our weight with sport and so I am representing all of those people that took part and volunteered in the Island Games. We had an entire week of sport and community support and that’s why I’m wearing this Olympic uniform this morning.
‘This timing couldn’t have been better for Guernsey with Ala Chalmers getting a place just yesterday.’
The other torchbearers were relatives of Victor Hugo – Jean-Baptiste Hugo and Isadora Hugo.
Dame Mary and her fellow torchbearers carried the lit flame around Hauteville House as an alternative to the standard torch relay.
‘Hauteville House is very symbolic because it belongs to Paris, but is in Guernsey, and just like sport, it brings people together and symbolises friendships between countries,’ said special operations manager Romain Caubin.
Pupils from Vauvert and Notre Dame attended the presentation and were able to have photographs holding the torch.
‘It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’ said Olivia Duki, 10. ‘When I see it on the TV for the Olympics, it will be nice to know that I held it.’
‘It felt like it was made of solid gold,’ said Thomas Rault, 8.
OLYMPIC FLAME
It is lit in Olympia in Greece at the ancient site of the Olympic Games and travels to the location of the host city to symbolise the connection between the ancient and modern games.
From Olympia it is taken to Athens to the Panathenaic Stadium used for the 1896 games, and then onto the host city. During the relay, the flame must never go out and must be able to withstand all weather conditions. A gas cartridge in the base of the torch ensures the flame keeps going.
The flame is kept in a sheltered security lamp and at night time it is kept in a special cauldron.
