The Indian link to the Paris Olympic torch

THE PARIS 2024 Olympic torch, designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, features a notable Indian connection.

ArcelorMittal, led by Indian entrepreneur Lakshmi Mittal, is behind the manufacturing of the Paris Olympic torch.

The Luxembourg-based multinational steel manufacturing corporation announced two weeks ago that its XCarb, made from recycled and renewable sources, is used in the Olympic torches, the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower, and the Paralympic Agitos symbol on the Arc de Triomphe.

ArcelorMittal was established in 2006 after Lakshmi Mittal’s Mittal Steel merged with Arcelor.

Aditya Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal, said, “Being an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and supplier of the Torch gives ArcelorMittal an incredible opportunity to showcase the beauty, flexibility, and potential of steel.”

The Paris Olympics is also setting a new trend by reusing the torches for the first time, with a significantly reduced carbon footprint. “We think the Games are about sport, but they transcend sport,” Ian Louden, the Head of Brand for ArcelorMittal, told reporters in Paris.

The company previously tied up with the London 2012 Olympic Games, resulting in the ArcelorMittal Orbit designed by British Indian artist Anish Kapoor, reported PTI.

According to Architectural Digest magazine, in designing the torch, Lehanneur drew inspiration from three main themes: equality, water, and peacefulness, reflecting the values inherent in the Olympic spirit.

The torch stands at 70 centimetres tall and weighs 1.5 kilograms. It features a golden ring that separates its smooth top from the undulating bottom.

Lehanneur, a prominent French designer, describes creating the Olympic torch as “a designer’s dream: a dream that only comes true once in a lifetime, like a miraculous encounter with history.”

A total of 2,000 torches have been produced by the world’s second-biggest steel producer for the Paris 2024 Games.