Paris 2024 commissions designer Mathieu Lehanneur to create the Olympic and Paralympic torches and cauldrons

Mathieu Lehanneur, designer of eclectic, innovative masterpieces

Born in 1974, Mathieu Lehanneur is an internationally renowned French designer. A multi-disciplinary pioneer, he works in a wide variety of creative fields ranging from object to architecture, art to product design, unique hand-crafted items to cutting-edge design technology. His projects combine innovation, magic, design, science, art and an ambition to enhance user well-being.

Mathieu Lehanneur’s works stretch across countless fields of expression: projects linked to mobility (hybrid engine boat, foldable electric bike), street furniture, interior design for museums and shops, technological product design, exclusive works, etc.

Mathieu Lehanneur’s collaboration with prestigious brands, leading institutions and start-ups has often been characterised by a desire to combine aesthetics and sustainability. His projects include a solar street lighting furniture concept launched during COP-21 in Paris and a plant home air filtration system created in partnership with Harvard University, based on a study developed by NASA. For the latter project, the multiaward-winning designer was awarded the Best Invention Award by US magazine Popular Science.

At the forefront of French design, Mathieu Lehanneur’s works can be found in the most prominent public and private collections in the world, including those of the Pompidou Centre and the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts, as well as the Museums of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco.

A designer selected following a call for tenders

The designer of the Olympic and Paralympic torches and cauldrons was selected following a call for tenders by Paris 2024, in which applicants were invited to demonstrate their understanding of the organisers’ creative ambition. Mathieu Lehanneur was chosen for his poetic and highly symbolic approach, along with his ability to grasp the values and expectations of Paris 2024.

The Olympic and Paralympic torches and cauldrons, key symbols of the Games

Before each edition of the Games, the torch carries a flame. For the Olympic Games the flame is lit by the sun’s rays at a ceremony held in the Temple of Hera at Olympia, Greece, in tribute to the Ancient Olympic Games. For the Paralympic Games, the flame is created at Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement.

From each lighting place the torchbearers will carry the respective flames through France to the Opening Ceremonies of each Games, where the cauldron is lit, and the Games declared open. 

The Olympic and Paralympic torches and cauldrons are mythical objects of the modern Games. They symbolise the spirit of an edition of the Games through their design, which is usually linked to the culture and characteristics of the host country.

Unveiling in 2023

Members of the public will be able to see the torches throughout the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays, with the detailed routes being revealed in spring 2023. The torch design will be unveiled by the end of the year.

“What a joy to be part of this adventure and what a responsibility to contribute to the history of the Games in this way! Partnering with Paris 2024 to design the torches and cauldrons means giving a visible form to a set of values and transforming a state of mind into iconic objects. Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together… My objective is to take this Olympic motto and add: more beautiful, lighter, more lavish.” Mathieu Lehanneur, designer

“In Mathieu Lehanneur, Paris 2024 has made another bold choice that reflects the audacious approach that we have adopted since the start. A pioneer who has worked with the world’s greatest, internationally renowned French designer Mathieu Lehanneur will bring all his creativity and his poetic approach to the Olympic and Paralympic torches and cauldrons, which are such great symbols of the Games.” Tony Estanguet, President, Paris 2024