PARIS – The Olympic flame is set to burn in the Tuileries Garden in front of the Louvre Museum for the duration of the Paris Games, a source involved in the discussions told AFP.

The decision to place the Olympic cauldron in the tourist hotspot in the centre of the city was taken “several weeks ago”, the source said on condition of anonymity.

“The Tuileries emerged as the first choice because of the ease of access for the public,” the source said.

There had been speculation that the flame might be placed on the Eiffel Tower, while organisers also contemplated putting it in the courtyard of the Louvre, the world’s biggest museum.

The Tuileries was eventually chosen as it is “an area that can be easily secured”, the source added.

“There will be security forces on duty round the clock to protect the flame and the general public will be able to see it thanks to the raised footpaths around the garden.”

The lighting of the cauldron is a key moment during the Olympics opening ceremony on July 26, signalling the formal start of the sports extravaganza which ends on Aug 20.

It was unclear if the cauldron would be lit inside the Tuileries or whether it would be transferred there after the unprecedented opening ceremony, which is set to take place on boats along the nearby River Seine.

The identity of the person given the honour of lighting it also remains unknown, while details about the opening ceremony – which will take place outside the athletics stadium for the first time – are a closely guarded secret.

At the delayed Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, the cauldron was lit by tennis star Naomi Osaka inside the eerily empty main athletics stadium during the opening ceremony.

Asked about the cauldron, the Paris organising committee said in a statement to AFP that “we will not confirm or deny any of the reports that are circulating. There have already been a lot of rumours on its location”.

But organisers want the cauldron to be “placed in the heart of Paris for its symbolism and so that it is visible for everyone”, the statement added, suggesting that the strong rumour about the Tuileries Garden is true.

The Paris Games are set to take place at locations around the capital, including at temporary stadiums by the Eiffel Tower and on the Place de la Concorde which abuts the Tuileries Garden.

The park was designed in 1664 at the behest of the so-called “Sun King” Louis XIV and is closely associated with the defunct French royal family, as well as the anti-monarchist Revolution of 1789.

The torch relay for Paris 2024 will begin on April 16, when a flame is taken from Olympia in Greece before being transported by sea to Marseille in a three-masted 19th-century French tall ship called the Belem. The flame is then set to travel through 400 French towns and dozens of tourist attractions during a 12,000km journey over the mainland and overseas French territories in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific. AFP