The Olympic torch relay, which started in Marseilles this year, was first introduced at the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin.
Who's the mysterious hooded figure carrying the Olympic torch throughout Paris?
As the 2024 Paris Olympics kicks off with the opening ceremony, spectators notice a resemblance between the torchbearer and a video game character from Assassin's Creed --- and they seem to be loving the similarity of the unknown figures traveling through the city using parkour moves.
While we can't confirm whether there's actually a connection between the game and the torchbearer video game creator Ubisoft, a French video game publisher, tweeted a photo from "Assassin's Creed Unity" during the Olympics opening ceremony. The game just so happens to be set in Paris during the French Revolution.
The masked person's costume is apparently inspired by characters who have left a mark on French culture, from the Phantom of the Opera to Arsène Lupin.
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The unknown torchbearer stopped by the Notre Dame, the Louvre, crashed the rehearsal of "Les Misérables" and witnessed the disappearance of the "Mona Lisa."
Their identity is never revealed as they passed the torch to French soccer star Zinedine Zidane who passed it on to Rafael Nadal. Nadal, a Spanish tennis player, then took the torch down the Seine River and passed it on to fellow tennis star Serena Williams.
What we do know about torchbearers is that they share three energies that all torchbearers possess: the energy of sport, communities and of the regions.
Who do you think is behind the mask?
Watch the Opening Ceremony again Friday night on NBC and Peacock. You can also stream it live here.
