Paris Olympics' metal horse goes on tour around France (and Germany)
One of the most astounding – and eerie – moments of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games last summer (really, it was just last summer) was the ghostly mechanical horse galloping for six kilometres down the Seine with the Olympic flag-wrapped rider on its back.
It was not – despite bursts of already heightened social media hysteria at the time – a reference to the pale rider of the apocalypse, but rather a representation of Sequana, the goddess of the Seine, who was worshipped by pre-Roman Gaulish tribes. Not everything needs a biblical reference, you see – in fact it wasn't even the only non-biblical reference in the ceremony.
From March, the metal horse – whose name is Zeus, by the way – who amazed more than one billion television viewers during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will travel around France, taking in stops in Montpellier, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes and Rouen.
After being admired in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and causing a sensation at the Palace of Versailles throughout the month of October, Zeus has been back with its creators, Nantes-based Atelier Blam, for a few weeks to be completely refurbished, before its grand tour of the country.
The travelling exhibition will start on Monday, March 11th, when Zeus will go on display at Porte Maillot, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. It will then set off across France, with stops in major cities and emblematic heritage sites, throughout the spring and summer.
After Porte Maillot, Zeus heads south for nine days in Montpellier, from March 5th to 14th, before heading to Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Rouen.
The silver horse will even cross the Rhine to Frankfurt before returning to France and a summer spell on Mont-Saint-Michel.
Zeus will be accompanied on certain sections of his route by the Science Lab, a 'travelling and educational' exhibition, the horse's owners Sanofi said in a press release, 'which will invite the public to discover the process of creating the medicines and vaccines of tomorrow.'
The company explained: 'The metal horse will stop in towns near Sanofi sites and at emblematic places of French heritage.'
After the tour the horse will return to Paris.
Zeus Tour Dates
March 3rd – Porte Maillot, Paris
March 5th to 14th – Montpellier, Promenade du Peyrou
March 17th to April 2nd – Lyon, City Hall
April 16th to 26th – Marseille (venue to be confirmed)
May 3rd to 9th – Bordeaux (venue to be confirmed)
May 12th to 23rd – Rouen (venue to be confirmed)
June 17th to 27th – Frankfurt (venue to be confirmed)
July 12th to September 7th – Mont-Saint-Michel, belvedere of the Abbey
September 19th to 29th –
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
'Backs to the Wall' for surfing's cancer survivor Flores
Within months of stepping away from competition, Flores, the most successful male European in surfing history, was diagnosed with a brain tumour that turned his life upside down. He survived to tell the tale, after years of silence, in a new documentary "Dos au mur" ("Backs to the Wall") which premiered in Paris on Wednesday. "I told myself it was time to talk about it," he told AFP. "I needed to get it off my chest, to send a message to my children and others who might need it. This was clearly the hardest ordeal of my life." - Inoperable - Flores was born in Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean which is a paradise for surfers - in spite of the large number of sharks. His father Patrick coached him from the age of three and he duly became one of the best in the world, competing for 15 years on the professional circuit, winning four prestigious championship tour events. Blessed with talent in the tubes, he was also quick with his temper. "I think I've got the most fines on the professional tour," he admits in the film which is directed by Julie and Vincent Kardasik. Yet in 2021, having become a father for the second time, he decided to retire without really explaining why. "For several years, I had a lot of migraines," he tells AFP. "I was always tired, unmotivated." A few months later, he was diagnosed with a tumour at the base of his brain. Worse yet, many surgeons considered it inoperable. "That explained why I wasn't feeling my best. The news shattered me," admits Flores. Brain tumour survival rates do not make pretty reading: just a third make it through five years although that figure improves for people under 40, according to medical figures in France. In theory Flores stood a fighting chance if he could find a surgeon who would operate. Fortunately he did. In 2022, he finally underwent brain surgery in Montpellier supervised by pioneering neurosurgeon Hugues Duffau. Flores was awake for all of it. "The operation went well," he recalls, still traumatised by the operation and the effects. "After that, it was a mission. I'd been warned. I had to relearn how to speak, write, and read. "I suffered significant memory loss. My children had become strangers to me." But with the constant support of his wife Hinarani de Longeaux, a model and former Miss Tahiti winner, Flores began to rebuild. He also had the support of the surf community, notably his old friend and rival Kelly Slater. "He called me almost every day, before, during, and after the operation," says Flores. "I was lucky to have great support." Olympic gold A little over a year after the operation, he was invited by the French Surfing Federation to manage the surf team at the 2024 Olympics: the event was to take place in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, where he had lived for several years. "I thought: why not? This will allow me to stimulate my brain, and surfing is what I do best," he says. The team consisted of four surfers who included his sister-in-law Vahine Fierro, and a young Tahitian Kauli Vaast who, according to Flores, was a natural on the pro tour. The veteran turned coach convinced them that they had what it took to win everything. And it worked. Fierro won the Tahiti Pro in 2024, the first French winner since Flores in 2015 while the team picked up two Olympic medals. Johanne Defay took bronze in the women's shortboard while Vaast went on to win gold in the men's shortboard, with Flores screaming his support from the water during every round. "It was truly special, the highlight of my career," says Flores. "He's my little brother, and I'm very attached to the notion of passing on the knowledge. I experienced it as a cycle." Three years after his operation, Flores' memory is "gradually returning". The tumour, however, is still there, a reminder of the dark days of 2021 even if it no longer haunts him. "I continue to monitor it with MRIs every three months," says Flores with a clear-eyed calm. "You have to keep an eye on its size, take it seriously, but above all, you have to keep moving forward." © 2025 AFP
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds become co-owners of Australia SailGP team
The actors, who are close friends, join Olympic gold medallist and driver Tom Slingsby at the helm of a team which was rebranded the "Flying Roos". "We're incredibly excited to set sail together in this new adventure," the Australian Jackman and Canadian-American Reynolds said in a statement. "Hugh brings a deep love for and pride in his home country, as well as being an avid fan of sailing. "He will also be bringing his overly clingy emotional support human along for the ride. Apologies in advance to Australia." Jackman and Reynolds starred together last year in the blockbuster movie "Deadpool & Wolverine". Reynolds also owns Welsh football club Wrexham along with fellow actor Rob McElhenney. SailGP stages regattas close to shore with identical high-performance, foiling, multi-hull boats that can reach speeds of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). It was launched in 2019 by American billionaire Larry Ellison and champion New Zealand yachtsman Russell Coutts. Australia, skippered by Slingsby, have won three of the four editions so far. "This is an incredible milestone for us and for our sport, having global icons Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds come on board as co-owners of our team," said Slingsby. "They bring unmatched star power, a love for storytelling and a sharp sense of humour that fits perfectly with our team." The new-look team will make its debut this weekend in New York, the sixth leg of the season.
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
Trump travel ban won't hit Los Angeles Olympics: organizers
Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, the 2028 Olympics organizing committee, told a press conference the US government had made it "very clear" that Trump's travel directive would not apply to the Games. Trump's travel directive announced late Wednesday bars all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Wasserman said, however, he was confident that all athletes and members of the Olympic movement would be free to travel to the United States in 2028. "It was very clear in the directive that the Olympics require special consideration, and I actually want to thank the federal government for recognizing that," Wasserman said following the conclusion of a visit from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission. Wasserman said the broad constituency of the Olympic movement -- from athletes to federation officials and media -- would not be affected by the ban. "All the constituents that you know so well that come to the city pre-Games and during the Games -- it's very clear that the federal government understands that that's an environment that they will be accommodating and provide for," Wasserman said. "So we have great confidence that that will only continue. It has been the case to date, and it will certainly be the case going forward through the Games." Wasserman's bullish appraisal was echoed by Nicole Hoevertsz, the chairwoman of the IOC Coordination Commission. "We as the IOC have every confidence in the fact that the local authorities and the federal authorities understand that bringing the Games to your country is a big responsibility," Hoevertsz said. "It is 206 countries that are preparing to come to the Games ... and the federal government has given us that guarantee in the past as well, to make sure that these these participants will be able to enter the country. "That is something that we will be definitely looking at and making sure that it is guaranteed as well ... we are very confident that this is going to be accomplished."
