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Paris Olympic torches and Dionysus crown from opening ceremony up for auction

Profits from the sale will go to charity groups, organisers said.

By contributor Associated Press Reporter
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A torchbearer carries the Olympic flame over a building along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26 2024
A torchbearer carries the Olympic flame over a building along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26 2024 (Bernat Armangue, Pool/AP)

Torches from the Paris Olympics and the crown and wreath of Dionysus worn by singer Philippe Katerine during the opening ceremony are up for auction.

Profits from the sale will go to charity groups, organisers said.

One of the torches was carried by one of the mysterious masked torchbearers moving across the rooftops of Paris during the ceremony on the Seine.

Delegations arrive at the Trocadero as spectators watch French singer Philippe Katerine performing on a giant screen in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26 2024
Delegations arrive at the Trocadero as spectators watch French singer Philippe Katerine performing on a giant screen in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26 2024 (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Also on sale are many of the costumes used during the acclaimed but boundary-pushing spectacle, including Marie Antoinette’s dresses.

The auction will take place on April 13 at the Stade Charlety in Paris.

During the ceremony, Katerine appeared lounging on a rug, painted in powdery blue from head to toe and seemingly clad in just a smattering of leaves and flowers.

He was channelling Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and festivity, with a song about “the absurdity of violence between human beings”.

Not everyone, however, enjoyed the ceremony, which prompted a storm of outrage in the wake of a contentious scene featuring drag queens and other performers.

Several people charged in connection with alleged cyberbullying targeting the ceremony’s artistic director went on trial last month in a Paris court.

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