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Malay Mail
27 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Paris' giant Olympic balloon ascends again — setting the stage for a summer spectacle
PARIS, June 22 — A giant balloon that became a popular landmark over the skies of Paris during the 2024 Olympics rose again Saturday evening, as Parisians celebrated an annual street music festival. As locals danced to live music in and around the Tuileries garden in central Paris, the balloon made its return on a hot summer evening. Organisers are hoping it will once again attract crowds of tourists. During the Games, the Olympic cauldron was tethered to the balloon, flying above the Tuileries garden at sunset every day. Thousands flocked to see the seven-metre (23-foot) wide ring of electric fire. Last summer's version 'had been thought up to last for the length of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,' said Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the cauldron. After President Emmanuel Macron 'decided to bring it back, all of the technical aspects needed to be reviewed', he told AFP on Thursday. Lehanneur said he was 'very moved' that the Olympic balloon was making a comeback. 'The worst thing would have been for this memory to become a sitting relic that couldn't fly anymore,' he said. 'Make the flames dance' The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14 — a summer staple every year until the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 'For its revival, we needed to make sure it changed as little as possible and that everything that did change was not visible,' said Lehanneur. With a decarbonated fire patented by French energy giant EDF, the upgraded balloon follows 'the same technical principles' as its previous version, said director of innovation at EDF Julien Villeret. The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14. — AFP pic The improved attraction 'will last ten times longer' and be able to function for '300 days instead of 30', according to Villeret. The creators of the balloon also reinforced the light-and-mist system that 'makes the flames dance', he said. Under the cauldron, a machine room hides cables, a compressor and a hydro-electric winch. That system will 'hold back the helium balloon when it rises and pull it down during descent', said Jerome Giacomoni, president of the Aerophile group that constructed the balloon. 'Filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium that is lighter than air,' the Olympic balloon 'will be able to lift around three tonnes' of cauldron, cables and attached parts, he said. The Tuileries garden is where French inventor Jacques Charles took flight in his first gas balloon on December 1, 1783. He followed in the footsteps of the famed Montgolfier brothers, who had just nine days earlier elsewhere in Paris managed to launch a similar balloon into the sky with humans onboard. The website is to display the times when the modern-day balloon will rise and indicate any potential cancellations due to weather. — AFP
Malay Mail
31 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Paris's giant Olympic balloon ascends again — setting the stage for a summer spectacle
PARIS, June 22 — A giant balloon that became a popular landmark over the skies of Paris during the 2024 Olympics rose again Saturday evening, as Parisians celebrated an annual street music festival. As locals danced to live music in and around the Tuileries garden in central Paris, the balloon made its return on a hot summer evening. Organisers are hoping it will once again attract crowds of tourists. During the Games, the Olympic cauldron was tethered to the balloon, flying above the Tuileries garden at sunset every day. Thousands flocked to see the seven-metre (23-foot) wide ring of electric fire. Last summer's version 'had been thought up to last for the length of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,' said Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the cauldron. After President Emmanuel Macron 'decided to bring it back, all of the technical aspects needed to be reviewed', he told AFP on Thursday. Lehanneur said he was 'very moved' that the Olympic balloon was making a comeback. 'The worst thing would have been for this memory to become a sitting relic that couldn't fly anymore,' he said. 'Make the flames dance' The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14 — a summer staple every year until the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 'For its revival, we needed to make sure it changed as little as possible and that everything that did change was not visible,' said Lehanneur. With a decarbonated fire patented by French energy giant EDF, the upgraded balloon follows 'the same technical principles' as its previous version, said director of innovation at EDF Julien Villeret. The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14. — AFP pic The improved attraction 'will last ten times longer' and be able to function for '300 days instead of 30', according to Villeret. The creators of the balloon also reinforced the light-and-mist system that 'makes the flames dance', he said. Under the cauldron, a machine room hides cables, a compressor and a hydro-electric winch. That system will 'hold back the helium balloon when it rises and pull it down during descent', said Jerome Giacomoni, president of the Aerophile group that constructed the balloon. 'Filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium that is lighter than air,' the Olympic balloon 'will be able to lift around three tonnes' of cauldron, cables and attached parts, he said. The Tuileries garden is where French inventor Jacques Charles took flight in his first gas balloon on December 1, 1783. He followed in the footsteps of the famed Montgolfier brothers, who had just nine days earlier elsewhere in Paris managed to launch a similar balloon into the sky with humans onboard. The website is to display the times when the modern-day balloon will rise and indicate any potential cancellations due to weather. — AFP
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Berlin dreaming: Vondrousova and Wang set for surprise final clash
BERLIN, June 22 — Marketa Vondrousova brushed aside world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Berlin yesterday to reach her first final since lifting the Wimbledon title two years ago. The 25-year-old Czech, ranked 164 in the world rankings, dominated Sabalenka 6-2, 6-4, to set up a title clash today with Wang Xinyu after the Chinese qualifier downed Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-1. Vondrousova plummeted down the rankings from sixth after missing several months with a left shoulder injury for which she underwent surgery last year. 'I didn't play for a long time,' said Vondrousova, who was appearing in her first WTA semi-final since April last year. 'I'm just happy to be back healthy, and so grateful to play these matches. 'When I saw the field here, I was like, 'OK, let's just try to win the first round,' and then, you know, now this is happening.' Sabalenka's first serve let her down in the opening set, but the Belarusian fought back to start the second with a break. Two games down Vondrousova levelled at 2-2, then broke to lead 5-4, wrapping up the win — her first ever over a world number one — but not before saving three consecutive break points, with an ace after one hour five minutes of play. Sabalenka, 27, was losing only her first semi-final in eight last four appearances in 2025. Wang, Vondrousova's Sunday rival on the grass in Berlin, continued her 'dream' run, adding the scalp of Russian Samsonova to those already collected this week including French Open champion Coco Gauff. For the 23-year-old, Sunday is a landmark moment — her first singles final on the WTA circuit. 'This week has been a dream for me,' Wang said. 'I've been playing unbelievable tennis here. I don't know, it's something with Berlin, I guess! 'Coming into this match here, coming into every match, I wasn't expecting anything, you know. For me, it was really just to enjoy the stage.' Vondrousova in contrast is appearing in her sixth final, winning in Bern (2017), Wimbledon (2023), and she was a losing finalist at Roland Garros and at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. — AFP
