The official flower of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: The Olympic Dahlia
Without a doubt, preparing for the Olympic Games is a challenge and a source of pride for each sponsoring country. Making a difference is quite a challenge. The France 2024 Olympic Games have just started, and the flowers are already present. The creation of a variety of Dalia and an emotional tribute have starred him: the Olympic Dahlia. It has been a very different and special inauguration, but without a doubt, no one will forget the tribute that the Algerian delegation paid on the Seine River.
Tribute from the Algerian delegation
This time, the inauguration was not in a stadium, but on the Seine River, and the delegations paraded in boats. During the boat parade of the Algerian delegation , which also included representatives from Afghanistan, South Africa, Albania and Germany, the athletes threw roses into the Seine River to pay tribute to those who fell in the Paris Massacre , which occurred on October 17. of 1961.
The Algerian Olympic Committee through its official channels declared:
“In memory of our righteous martyrs, the Algerian delegation throws flowers at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the Seine River, and specifically on the bridge where our righteous martyrs were martyred, may God have mercy on them.”
Creation of the Olympic Dahlia
Among the special preparations that France had prepared for the 2024 Olympic Games is the beautification of its entire city with an exceptional flower: the Dahlia of the Olympic Games. Bright red, this iconic flower is the embodiment of Olympic passion, lighting up the gardens of Paris this summer. A vibrant floral tribute to the sporting event of the year.
«The idea was to select a flower that we made with our own hands and that was different for us, something that you couldn’t find anywhere else»
David Lacroix, Head of Department of DEVE, The Directorate of Green Spaces and the Environment. Of Paris.
This is the government organization in charge of planning, developing and maintaining the city’s green spaces, which compares the color of the flower to the Olympic flame.
Created in 2016 by Christophe Kneblewski, the variety was originally named “Parc Floral de Paris” dahlia, in honor of the DEVE laboratory there, where it was grown in vitro. Although dahlia season is in full swing in late summer, this variety was chosen for its hardiness and early flowering. In this way it would be perfectly synchronized with the Games, from mid-July to the end of September.
The adventure of this exceptional variety began in the laboratories of the Paris Floral Park, where the Olympic Dahlia came to life in jars meticulously supervised by the flower’s creator, Christophe Kneblewski. Certainly, Its petals in the colors of the Olympic flame underline the emotional connection between the flower and the spirit of the Games.
The flower is a unique hybrid variety created by the city’s horticultural team based at the Parc Floral, the botanical gardens of the Bois de Vincennes. It has been selected by the city as an official Olympic flower.
Earlier this year, the propagated tubers were planted en masse in municipally owned horticultural production fields in Rungis, south of Paris. To then do the spring planting in the city. “We were a little worried about the conditions this spring because it rained a lot and there wasn’t much heat or sun, but they did well,” Lacroix says.
More than 50,000 are now planted in 150 green spaces in the city. From larger parks like Trocadero to smaller, more secluded gardens, like Place Édouard-Vaillant in the 20th arrondissement or the Dosne Foundation garden. — Thiers in District 9. They stand out: their colorful ray florets spread outward and upward like fireworks over towering stems and dark foliage.
The variety was chosen for its resistance and early flowering, in sync with the Games, from mid-July to the end of September © Frédéric Combeau/Ville de Paris.
“We have set the bar high for the summer of 2024 so that all our gardens are the most beautiful and welcoming, to the great pleasure of Parisians and visitors,” says Lacroix.
The Lacroix team grows many of their own plants and even trees for the city’s green spaces. Every day they are increasing under the direction of socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo. In addition to planting new landscaping, the team is adding greenery along streets, avenues and in front of schools. “There is a huge program to green the city, including diversifying tree and plant species,” she says.
Creating new varieties, like this dahlia, is less common. Yet it is a passion, Lacroix says, for Kneblewski, who is a dahlia expert and enthusiast. He is responsible for the Parc Floral dahlia garden and the collection of 420 varieties.
Its status is such that every autumn the Parc Floral organizes an international dahlia competition. This new creation will not participate in this year’s competition nor will it appear in the official bouquets of Olympic athletes. In addition to the city’s gardens and parks, it will be displayed in the floral arrangements that dress the Hôtel de Ville (town hall). Also in other administrative places. It will be like a key player in the ultimate soft power show.
Much to expect from these Olympic Games, and may flowers continue to beautify each city.
If you want to know more about dahlias, I invite you to read the article
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