Olympic flame is 'fake': Floating cauldron fire that wowed the world at Paris 2024 opening ceremony is 100 per cent electric, using LED lights and water mist - and is even safe to touch

The Olympic occurrence that wowed nan world astatine nan Paris 2024 opening ceremonial successful a floating cauldron is not existent but successful truth 100 per cent electric, organisers person revealed. 

The 'fake' occurrence is created utilizing 40 LED lights and h2o mist meaning it is safe for anyone to touch. 

Paris has aimed to present nan 'greenest Olympic games ever' pinch nan accepted cauldron occurrence usually reliant connected fossil fuels. 

Tony Estanguet, caput of nan Paris 2024 organising committee, said: 'We wanted nan cauldron to usage a caller exertion successful bid to not nutrient excessively galore emissions. 

'We were eager and we wanted to bring together thing spectacular and biology work astatine nan aforesaid time.' 

French Olympic golden medalists Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner amazed nan crowd astatine nan opening ceremonial connected Friday nighttime erstwhile they performed nan accepted role of transferring nan torch-based occurrence to nan Olympic cauldron. 

A ringing of occurrence past powered a basking aerial balloon to emergence up into nan nighttime entity supra Paris successful a spectacular display. 

The move was a motion to nan Montgolfier brothers, nan French pioneers of nan basking aerial balloon. 

Their first designs took formation successful 1783 successful nan aforesaid location arsenic nan Olympic occurrence astatine Paris 2024. 

The 'fake' occurrence will beryllium lit passim nan long of nan Olympic games pinch nan balloon grounded astatine nan Tuileries Garden during nan day. 

At nighttime nan balloon will emergence into nan aerial again and hover astir 30 metres supra nan French capital. 

French designer Mathieu Lehanneur developed nan caller type of basking aerial balloon that carries a ringing of occurrence pinch it.

He said: 'This perfectly unsocial Cauldron represents each nan tone I wanted to springiness to nan Olympic and Paralympic objects.

'Light, magical and unifying, it will beryllium a beacon successful nan nighttime and a sun wrong scope during nan day. 

'The occurrence that burns successful it will beryllium made of ray and water, for illustration a cool oasis successful nan bosom of summer.'

The usage of a 'fake flame' successful nan cauldron comes aft the torch for nan Paris 2024 Olympic Games was lit successful ancient Olympia successful a accepted ceremony. 

Months earlier each games, nan occurrence is lit astatine nan tract of nan ancient Olympics successful Greece utilizing nan ray of nan sun and a parabolic mirror.

However this year, Greek character Mary Mina, playing nan domiciled of precocious priestess, lit nan torch utilizing a backup occurrence alternatively owed to cloudy skies for nan commencement of a relay successful Greece and France.

The occurrence is past carried utilizing torches successful a relay until it arrives astatine nan tract of nan opening ceremonial wherever a cauldron is lit. 

The cauldron will past pain for nan long of nan Games until it is put retired astatine nan closing ceremony. 

Organisers of Paris 2024 person defended nan usage of a 'fake' occurrence saying its usage is chiefly symbolic. 

A spokesperson for nan Games told The Telegraph: 'For nan Olympic movement, only nan awesome of a Flame that does not spell retired earlier nan extremity of nan Games matters.

'This occurrence is nan existent Olympic Flame, successful nan aftermath of nan lighting ceremonial successful Olympia and of nan Olympic Torch Relay passim France.

'Given nan specificity of our cauldron and nan technologies involved, we will still support a lit lantern successful nan contiguous vicinity of nan Cauldron for nan nationalist to admire.'

This is not nan first clip that nan usage of a existent occurrence has been challenged. 

In nan 1976 Olympics, nan occurrence was transformed into a power awesome and broadcast to Ottawa.