Flame-free Olympic ring of fire becomes Games symbol

The Olympic cauldron tethered to a balloon in an iconic Paris park has become one of the hottest tickets at the 2024 Games with thousands flocking every day to see the seven-metre wide ring of environmentally friendly fire.

The cauldron flies into the Parisian sky at sunset each day under a 30m balloon in the Jardin des Tuilleries park.

The flame, made up of clouds of mist lit by LED rays, has become a much-talked about symbol of the Games since it was lit by French sporting icons Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec at Friday's opening ceremony.

Visitors now pack the park, with all available 10,000 daily slots to see the flame taken until the Games close on 11 August.

Organisers have promised to add more slots. "We're victims of our own success," they said online.

'Join the party'

Virginie Decosta took her 11-year-old daughter and six-year-old son to the gardens at the weekend.

"It's for the kids, so they can join the party too," the 43-year-old told AFP.

Ms Decosta and her husband are planning to see BMX and basketball, but their children will have to stay home.

"They won't have access to the Games," she said, adding that Olympic tickets were "too expensive."

"But at their level they understand the importance of what's going on," she said.

Paris' newest tourist attraction is free. Three hundred people are admitted to see the flame every quarter of an hour between 11am and 7pm.

'Message to the world'

"It's beautiful," exclaimed Murielle Taupin, a retired police officer who was also among the first guests to see the flame.

The 52-year-old said she was somewhat "frustrated" at not being able to watch the opening ceremony up close.

"So, I'm taking part in all the free outdoor competitions," said Taupin, who watched road cycling on