Start in Marseille

Liu Jia also takes part! Olympic fake run has begun

The torch relay has begun(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

78 days before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris, the torch relay began in Marseille on Thursday. Austria's table tennis great Liu Jia was one of the 200 people to carry the torch on the first of 67 stages.

The 42-year-old shared the honor with numerous stars such as ex-footballers Didier Drogba and Jean-Pierre Papin, former NBA basketball player Tony Parker and ski racer Cyprien Sarrazin.

A solemn ceremony
"It was a great honor for me to carry the Olympic torch in France," said the six-time Olympian, who will no longer be competing this summer. A total of 200 torchbearers were in action. "It was a huge party, the whole city was on its feet. 150,000 people attended the festive ceremony in the Old Port."

On Friday, the race continues from Var to Toulon. The torch relay will cover a distance of 12,000 kilometers through mainland France and the overseas territories.