MARSEILLE, France (AP) 鈥 Joyful crowds gathered along the streets of France鈥檚 southern port of Marseille on Thursday to see torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame through the city's most emblematic sites, a day after it arrived on a majestic three-mast ship for a welcoming ceremony.
It was the first leg of an 11-week journey across the country for the torch, which will be carried by about 10,000 bearers as it passes through more than 450 towns until in Paris on July 26.
Former soccer player Basile Boli, who played with the Marseille team in the 1990s, kicked off Thursday's relay from the Notre Dame de la Garde basilica that overlooks Marseille and the Mediterranean.
鈥淚鈥檓 very proud,鈥 Boli said. 鈥淵ou feel like you鈥檙e on top of the world, because with an Olympic flame there鈥檚 a special fervor. ... It鈥檚 the symbol of sport!鈥
Basketball player Tony Parker later took his turn in the relay, praising 鈥渁 great honor.鈥 On a nearby crowded beach, swimmers and sunbathers cheered the torch bearers as the flame passed.
"The enthusiasm of Marseille for the flame is phenomenal," Maurice Genevois, a local resident, said. "Honestly, I have rarely seen such a celebration.鈥
Magali Evrard, who came from the town of Martigues, in Marseille鈥檚 region, said 鈥渋t鈥檚 been so long since we started talking about this and now we鈥檙e in it!
鈥淲e are on the road to Paris. We can鈥檛 wait, it鈥檚 great,鈥 she added.
A fencing champion, a skateboarder, a Michelin-starred chef and a comedian were also chosen to carry the flame on Thursday.
"Let's go for a fantastic celebration,鈥 said Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Olympics organizing committee. 鈥淭he Games are back in our country. ... Let鈥檚 share this fantastic moment of celebration with millions of people in the country.鈥
Participants were scheduled to run all day past landmarks in the city to bring the torch to the roof of the famed Stade V茅lodrome, home to Marseille鈥檚 passionate soccer fans. Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba, a former star player for the Marseille club, was the last torchbearer of the day and lit the Olympic cauldron just outside the stadium.
Sports Minister Am茅lie Oud茅a-Cast茅ra said 鈥渋t鈥檚 fantastic to give that sense of pride to the French people and to show to the whole world what we鈥檙e capable to achieve.鈥
鈥溾橶e鈥檙e going to give happiness to the whole world," she added.
Torchbearers included , who won two gold medals at the 2020 European Championships and competed at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Her inclusion was an expression of solidarity with Ukraine as well as a symbolic gesture to mark Europe Day, which falls on May 9 each year. Vysochanska led a group of 27 other athletes who represent all European Union member states.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a way to really celebrate Europe, its values and also to demonstrate our attachment to the European sport model,鈥 Oud茅a-Cast茅ra said. Ukraine received the green light last year to start accelerated talks on joining the EU.
鈥(Ukrainians) face that terrible war of aggression, and we want to really express that we support them the best we can,鈥 she added. 鈥淭his is unity. This is hope. This is solidarity. And we want their victory."
Marseille on Wednesday celebrated with great fanfare the flame's arrival, with more than 230,000 people attending the ceremony in the Old Port, according to the city's mayor, Beno卯t Payan.
During the Games, the sailing competition and some soccer matches will be held in Marseille.
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AP journalists Jeffrey Schaeffer, Nicolas Garriga and Oleg Cetinic contributed to this story.
