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ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ CGI Extravaganza Is Everything It’s Cracked Up to Be, and More: ‘Concert’ Review

By Mark Sutherland

Mark Sutherland

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“To be or not to be, that is no longer the question,” declared ABBA co-founder and musical mastermind Benny Andersson at the start of “ABBA Voyage,” the Swedish quartet’s first “concert” in over 40 years. And if that sounds like a curiously existential way to begin a pop concert, well, this is no ordinary live show.

For a start, despite Andersson’s insistence that “This is really me, I just look very good for my age,” it’s actually his de-aged, computer-generated avatar — or “ABBA-tar,” if you must — that is speaking his pre-recorded words. Alongside him are the similarly CGI-rendered forms of his bandmates, all looking as they did — or, in truth, actually somewhat better than — they did in their ‘70s heyday.

Meet, then, the prefab four, playing a show that is billed, 100% accurately, as “a concert like no other” — which doesn’t mean it isn’t every bit as big a deal as it would have been had ABBA reformed for a more traditional concert.

Staged in the purpose-built ABBA Arena near East London’s Olympic Park, the world premiere performance nonetheless attracted royalty of both the showbiz world (Kylie Minogue, Keira Knightley, Kate Moss) and actual sovereign variety: the King and (dancing) Queen of Sweden walked the red carpet in support of one of their nation’s leading exports.

However, it was the presence of all four real-life members of ABBA — Andersson, co-founder and co-mastermind Björn Ulvaeus, and lead singers Anni-Frid Lyngstad and the usually reclusive Agnetha Fältskog — that caused the real stir, proof of the demand fueling this technologically ground-breaking (and presumably wildly expensive) new concept in entertainment. ( Andersson and Ulvaeus spoke with Variety about the shows last year and earlier this week.)

The stakes, therefore, are high. If there are nerves, however, these ice-cool Swedes — and their similarly unflappable producers, Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson — don’t show them. And, as it turns out, there was little need to worry.

True, as the digital foursome emerge from the floor — like Doctor Who’s Tardis, the arena appears bigger on the inside, appropriate for tonight’s adventures in time and space — the spectre of “Rock Circus,” a spectacularly naff animatronic Madame Tussauds attraction that ran in London throughout the ‘90s, hung in the air.

At first, the movements seem a little too jerky, the lines a little too obvious. But then, just as when you saw the initially-somewhat-unconvincing dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park” for the first time, your eyes adjust, the willing suspension of disbelief kicks in, and they begin to feel like living, breathing musicians, rather than the product of 160 motion capture cameras and one billion computing hours by Industrial Light & Magic.

Certainly, the crowd has no problem giving these computer programs a round of applause, a standing ovation or a shrieked declaration of undying love. This, after all, is their chance to witness something most of them had never seen before, and all of them thought they’d never see again – some of the greatest pop songs of all time delivered, at least tangentially, by the original protagonists.

And these avatars certainly capture ABBA’s original exuberance, minus the Jurassic tendencies that tend to blight decades-after-the-fact reunions in the real world. The pre-publicity stressed these weren’t holograms, and that’s true — these digital doppelgangers look almost indistinguishable from real people from every angle, with each tuft of hair and outlandish ‘70s costume rendered in occasionally terrifying detail. They can dance, they can jive, they can even make bad jokes about pausing for costume changes — and the crowd are having the time of their lives, teetering on the brink of delirium throughout, despite their majority VIP status.

But then these songs tend to do that to people. After a slow-ish start with the lesser-known songs “The Visitors” and “Hole in Your Soul,” the set delivers the hits just like any ABBA tribute act. However, some notable classics, from “Super Trouper” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” are absent — smart money is surely on versions of these already being in the can for future setlist tweaks. But any quibbles are drowned out by a youthful, 10 piece live band — put together by Keira Knightley’s husband, James Righton, formerly of “new rave” sensations the Klaxons — that means “S.O.S” and “Does Your Mother Know?” have rarely sounded so punchy.

Meanwhile, the accompanying visuals are out of this world: extravagant light effects, interstellar backdrops and CGI Tron costumes mean that, in the unlikely event you are underwhelmed by splendid versions of “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and “Voulez-Vous,” there’s always something to look at.

The budget doesn’t seem to have quite extended to a full avatar show — there are some bizarre, animated interludes, possibly designed to boost the bar takings, while “Waterloo” simply features joyous archive footage from the very beginning of the band’s journey into the public’s affections.

This “Voyage,” however, is ultimately about more high-tech pleasures. It succeeds so well that you would be surprised if other entertainment centers weren’t already queuing up to host the show (which is booked in London until at least this time next year), and if other groups with pan-generational fanbases and aging personnel weren’t already exploring something similar.

By the time the closing salvo of “Dancing Queen,” “Thank You for the Music” and a genuinely emotional “The Winner Takes It All” arrived, the crowd was so immersed that a digital rendering of ABBA as they are now fools almost everyone into believing the real Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Anni-Frid are onstage — that is, until the four of them really did shuffle on a few seconds later.

After 90 minutes with their younger selves, it feels strange to see them like this – mostly grey-haired, Frida with a cane, all suddenly rendered mortal like the rest of us. But it perhaps makes sense of why they embarked on this ludicrously ambitious project, rather than simply getting the band back together.

We’ll sadly never know for sure, but maybe, just maybe, “ABBA Voyage” will turn out to be even better than the real thing..

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ABBA Voyage live in London: groundbreaking pop meets jaw-dropping spectacle

The futuristic new show from the legendary swedish pop group is uncannily, eerily realistic – it has to be seen to be believed.

By Brit Dawson

It’s about a quarter of the way into the opening night of ABBA ’s Voyage residency when Benny Andersson starts stripping on stage. “We’re going to keep you in the dark while I make a quick costume change,” he tells the laughing crowd. “Can I get the towel? I never liked this costume in the first place. My arm is stuck, can you help me?” It’s one of several moments during the set that makes you forget you’re watching avatars – sorry, ABBAtars – instead of real people. And, yes, it’s a little cheesy, but it’s ABBA. What did you expect?

Last night (May 26), the band finally launched its enormous undertaking: a possibly never-ending string of concerts at a purpose-built (and flat-packable) ABBA Arena in east London. The residency, which stars digital avatars of the band in their “ 1979 prime ”, has been five years in the making, and arrives 40 years after their last concert. Playing alongside the avatars – which are amazingly, but eerily, realistic – is a live band, put together by former Klaxons member James Righton. They’re kept mostly in the sidelines for the show, but get their main stage moment with a solo rendition of ‘Does Your Mother Know’ – a sweet and welcomed moment in the otherwise digital set.

Though it mostly doesn’t feel digital. Opening with ‘The Visitors’ – the title track from the band’s final album before their 2018 reunion – the ABBAtars ascend from below the stage, dressed head-to-toe in the extravagant, shimmering costumes they’re so renowned for (though this time designed by Dolce & Gabbana). The huge screen that depicts the life-sized figures on stage also magnifies the avatars, giving the audience a close-up view of the slightly uncanny faces of Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The effect is jaw-dropping – the avatars move, talk, and sing like real people. They endearingly gesture to one another, and share coy, romantic looks (they’re depicted at a time when the respective couples were still married).

After a short speech by Andersson – in which he recalls the band’s last London show, in 1979 – the band launches into ‘SOS’ (but not before a brief EastEnders piano intro, which gets a big laugh from the crowd). Fältskog and Lyngstad energetically fly around the stage, as the audience roars the lyrics along with them. The third track, ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’, offers a stark reminder that you’re not at a real show – the life-sized avatars disappear from the stage, and instead the song is performed by them on the big screen. It’s one of a handful of moments where the producers don’t utilise the avatars to their full extent – the song sadly feels like an interlude, while you wait for the realistic-looking people to come back on stage. This happens later, with ‘Eagle’ and ‘Voulez Vous’ soundtracking an animation – the only dull moment in the show, perhaps.

Still, it’s quickly forgotten when the avatars are back. ‘Chiquitita’ is one of the highlights of the set, performed against the backdrop of an ever-shrinking moon. From there, the hits keep on coming – ‘Fernando’, ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’, ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’, as well as new tracks ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’ and ‘I Still Have Faith in You’. As do the costume changes, a particular highlight being velour tracksuits, each bejewelled with the individual ABBA member’s name. Short speeches by the band reflect on their recent reunion, joke about the inspiration behind songs, and recall the UK giving them “nul points” at Eurovision in 1974 – a neat segue into showing their contest-winning performance on the big screen.

By the time you reach the closers, ‘Thank You for the Music’ and ‘Dancing Queen’, you feel like you’re in the presence of ABBA – and not just because last night you actually were . What the producers, and the band themselves, have done with the show is groundbreaking, and will likely transform live music (though whether that’s for better or worse is still up for debate ). Last night, though – and for the rest of ABBA’s residency – we can, once again, just be thankful for the music.

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ABBA Take Trip to the Future With Virtual Live Show: Inside the Pioneering Production

The four members of ABBA made a rare public appearance to watch their 'ABBA-tars' perform in the highly technical stage show.

By Richard Smirke

Richard Smirke

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LONDON — After a 40-year wait, Swedish pop sensations ABBA made their eagerly-anticipated return to the live stage on Thursday. And although none of the real-life musicians were actually onstage performing, all four of them were present in London, making a rare public appearance at the premiere of their virtual live concert ABBA Voyage.

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Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog walked the red carpet and received a rapturous standing ovation when they appeared onstage together at the end of the much-hyped show, which features de-aged digital avatar versions of the band – or ABBA-tars, as the show’s producers insist on calling them – and takes place in a new purpose-built 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

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Billed as a “Concert Like No Other,” the launch was attended by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, as well as several music stars and VIPs, including Kylie Minogue, Zara Larsson, Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker, Kate Moss and Keira Knightley.

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For lovers of ABBA, who broke up in 1982 and have continually resisted lucrative offers to re-form, ABBA Voyage delivers the type of jaw-dropping greatest hits live show that most fans thought they’d never get the chance to see again.

For the wider live music industry, it represents a fascinating glimpse into a potential future where the world’s biggest acts no longer have to travel or even physically appear onstage to pack concert venues and sell millions of tickets, theoretically extending an act’s touring career well into old age and, if demand allows, beyond death.

The concept is not new and versions of 3D hologram live music shows have been around for several years now: Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Whitney Houston, Tupac Shakur and Roy Orbison are among the artists that have been recreated digitally for audiences’ entertainment, with varying degrees of success and believability.

ABBA Voyage represents a seismic leap forward in terms of technology and sheer scale to sit at the cutting edge of what virtual concerts can now deliver. Breaking new ground comes at a high price, however, with the Swedish band reportedly needing to recoup around £140 million ($176 million) to cover production costs (a spokesperson for the production declined to comment on how much the show costs to stage).

Work on the production began in 2016 and went through several different guises as the thinking and technology behind it evolved. Early on, the show was envisaged as a hologram-type event, then a touring concert series, before settling on a London residency.

To create the digital versions of Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha and Frida, technicians from George Lucas’ special effects company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) spent five weeks inside a Stockholm movie studio filming the four band members – now all in their 70s – performing their back catalog, while wearing figure-hugging motion-capture suits.

There were 160 cameras scanning their bodies, recording their every movement and facial expression, which the designers then used as the basis for the avatars that drive the live show. Body doubles were also used in the motion capture process to give the digital band – represented in their late 1970s prime, complete with glitzy sequined costumes and winged catsuit outfits designed by B Åkerlund and Dolce & Gabbana — a more youthful energy.

More than 1,000 visual-effects artists and one billion computing hours went into making the ABBA-tars as eerily realistic and human-like as possible. During the show, they appear on huge 65-million-pixel screens, often as life-sized versions of their younger selves. At other times, the four musicians are shown in photo-realistic close up on the large screens that loom over the dance floor and surrounding seats.

The boundaries between physical and digital realms are further blurred by a 10-piece live band that energetically performs the group’s hits onstage, merging seamlessly with recordings of Agnetha and Frida’s voices, Bjorn’s guitar and Benny’s piano.

A spectacular light show utilizing 20 lighting rigs and over 500 moving lights add to the visual spectacle, helping create the illusion that you have travelled back in time and the four members of ABBA are there, performing on stage in front of you.

The magic is temporarily broken whenever the avatars address the audience and their pre-recorded words are drowned out by the crowd (rather than pausing and milking the applause as any seasoned real-life performer would instinctively do). But the show moves at such a fast visually stimulating pace that these awkward moments are fleeting and soon forgotten.

There are also playful nods to the digital artifice on display with the four characters routinely joking about how good they look for their age or pretending to struggle to get into their costumes. Two animations by U.K.-based visual artists Shynola effectively act as big-budget intervals between the virtual avatar performances, while the production team – led by Ludvig Andersson, son of Benny, Svana Gisla and director Baillie Walsh — wisely steer clear of making the avatars’ dancing seem too slickly choreographed and synchronized, replicating the quirky homespun charm of the original performers.

“With ABBA Voyage the band have created their own monument which is as brilliant and timeless as their music,” says Frank Briegmann , chairman & CEO Universal Music Central Europe and Deutsche Grammophon.

For now, the concert runs just over 90 minutes with 20 songs, spanning some of ABBA’s biggest hits (“Mamma Mia”, “Thank You For The Music”, “The Winner Takes It All”, “Knowing Me Knowing You”) alongside fan favorite album cuts (“The Visitors,” “Hole In Your Soul,” “When All Is Said And Done”) and two tracks from last year’s comeback album, also called Voyage (“Don’t Shut Me Down” and “I Still Have Faith In You”).

It’s a safe assumption that the set list will change over time with new songs dropped into the production at regular intervals throughout its run to encourage repeat visits. The model behind ABBA Voyage is expressly built to maximize those revenue generating opportunities, with the show booked to run in London for least the next 12 months, hosting between seven and nine gigs a week, including two weekend matinees. (In an interview with Variety earlier this week, Andersson said they had sold around 380,000 tickets so far).

Beyond that, the purpose-built venue — a futuristic-looking steel structure which loosely resembles a 70s spacecraft, houses 291 speakers and has LED lights spelling out the band’s name on its outer skin – has a four-year lease agreement with London council in place, meaning that more than four million people could pass through its doors by the time the show leaves the U.K. in late 2026 (based on full capacity shows running seven times a week).

Where ABBA Voyage goes after that is open to all possibilities with the band’s global popularity – enhanced by the two Mamma Mia feature films, spin off Mamma Mia! The Party dining experience and ongoing popularity of the group’s evergreen catalog – meaning they could theoretically pack up and transport the ABBA Arena, or even operate multiple versions of the same immersive concert experience, anywhere in the world.

“To be or not to be,” wise cracks Benny’s avatar during the show “That is no longer the question.” ABBA Voyage makes those words a reality.

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The Concert

ABBA Voyage is the long-awaited concert from one of the biggest pop acts of all time featuring a setlist of ABBA’s biggest, most popular hits – each handpicked with great care by the band.

Experience a concert like no other

Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid have created the kind of concert they always wanted, performing for their fans at their very best: as digital versions of themselves backed by today’s finest musicians.

Blurring the lines between the physical and digital, see the magic of ABBA brought to life using the latest in motion capture technology.

It’s the greatest ABBA performance the world has never seen. Until now.

Concert Times

The concert is 90 minutes long and there is no interval. Doors open 1 hour 45 minutes before the start of the concert. The performance will start promptly and latecomers will not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance.

Please note adjusted performance times for Holiday, Christmas and New Year’s periods.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time should we arrive.

Please arrive an hour in advance of your concert start time to allow for ticket and security checks and any travel disruption on the day.

The concert begins promptly at the time as advertised on your ticket*:

REGULAR SCHEDULE Monday – 7:45pm Thursday – 7:45pm Friday – 7:45pm Saturday – 3pm and 7:45pm Sunday – 1pm and 6pm

Latecomers will not be admitted until a suitable point in the concert

*There may be seasonal variations to show times – check your tickets for correct performance start time.

What’s the concert running time? 

The run time is approximately 90 minutes without an interval – so you can enjoy as much singing and dancing as possible.

Will ABBA be at the concert? 

The concert has been carefully planned by all 4 members of ABBA. Although not physically in the Arena, they have created the kind of concert they always wanted – blurring the lines between the real and the digital to give you the best version of themselves. Find out more  here .

What time does the Arena open? 

The arena opens at the following times ahead of each concert:

REGULAR SCHEDULE Monday – 6pm Thursday – 6pm Friday – 6pm Saturday – 1pm and 6pm Sunday – 11:15am and 4:15pm

Please arrive an hour in advance of your concert start time to allow for ticket and security checks and any travel disruption on the day. The concert begins promptly at the time as advertised on your ticket* Latecomers will not be admitted until a suitable point in the concert

*There may be seasonal variations to timings

Are there any age restrictions? 

Although anyone can enjoy the music of ABBA, we recommend this event is suitable for those over 6 years old. Unfortunately, children under 3 will not be allowed into the venue, those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult and may not sit in the arena on their own. The Dance Floor area is not recommended for anyone younger than 12.

View our recommended hotels.

On-site Merch

ABBA Voyage merchandise is available on site, both inside the ABBA Arena and at our shop at Pudding Mill Lane station.

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ABBA Voyage: Band announce ‘revolutionary’ concert and brand new album

Fans overjoyed at news of first new abba album in almost 40 years, article bookmarked.

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ABBA have announced that they are releasing their first new music in 40 years, as well as the launch of a “revolutionary” concert next year.

Following the announcement this evening in London , the group – made up of Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad, Agnetha Fälskog and Björn Ulvaeus also unveiled two new singles: “I Still Have Faith With You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down”.

Both songs will appear on their forthcoming, 10-track album, ‘Voyage’. The album, which will be the group’s first studio album since “The Visitors”, will be released this November.

ABBA also announced details of a state-of-the-art virtual tour in which all four members of the band will appear on stage digitally.

Find out how to get tickets to their concerts here .

Hello, and welcome to The Independent’s liveblog for tonight’s ABBA surprise!

Fans are on tenterhooks as they pray for new music, a tour... basically they’ll take anything they can get at this rate.

The announcement is taking place in London – earlier today we saw original band members Bjorn and Benny arriving.

The bio for the Abba Voyage account reads: “Thank you for waiting, the journey is about to begin.”

The names of all four of Abba’s original members are also listed (Agnetha Fältskog, Ulvaeus, Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad).

Fans react on Twitter ahead of ABBA announcement

Shall we take a look at what fans are saying on Twitter? They’re all VERY excited...

What’s your favourite ABBA song?

I’ve just asked the ultimate question on Twitter... what’s your favourite ABBA song?! Mine is “Gimme Gimme Gimme” but I can just as easily belt it out to “Mamma Mia”, “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo”...

When ABBA won Eurovision

Remember when ABBA won Eurovision in 1974? Take a trip down memory lane with this fantastic feature by Mark Beaumont...

The winner takes it all: how Abba’s douze-points energy at Eurovision started a pop revolution

Songwriting genius and satin came together to wow Europe with ‘Waterloo’. Mark Beaumont traces the road from Sweden to superstardom for Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid

Last year, it was claimed that the band would release five new songs in 2021 after a planned reunion was delayed by the pandemic.

A hologram tour was first announced back in 2016, though it remains unclear whether Abba Voyage is a new project altogether.

What will happen at the ABBA announcement?

Well, that remains to be seen. Fans are speculating on everything from a new song to an entire new album, a one-off show to an entire tour.

The band have remained very secretive up until this point, but we only have four minutes left to find out!

ABBA livestreams announcement from Stratford in London

So if you’re tuning into the livestream now you should be seeing a notice that the stream is “starting momentarily”. Looks like they’ve got a good crowd at the venue, too.

How to watch the ABBA livestream

Here’s the stream if you need it!

So fans and the press are gathered on the dock in Stratford and taking us on a trip down memory lane, plus a tour of their wonderful fan community all around the world... The event is being streamed worldwide because “when ABBA throws a party, everyone’s invited”.

ABBA celebrated by fans around the world

It’s really wonderful to see clips of fans from around the world to get a grasp on just quite how influential and beloved this band are.

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The ABBA ‘Voyage’ producers on what to expect from the “magical space circus” live show

The makers of ABBA's "revolutionary" new digital show on what went into it and how it could run "for years to come"

The creators of ABBA’ s “revolutionary” new live show ‘Voyage ‘ have spoken to NME about the creation of the concert, the chemistry of the band and how long we might expect it to run for.

• READ MORE ABBA are back – here are 10 songs their “ABBAtars” must play live

The Swedish pop legends returned last week , announcing details of an immersive new live show called ‘Voyage’ along with a new 10-track album of the same name and the first two singles from it .

The ‘Voyage’ live show will see a “digital” version of ABBA performing alongside a 10-piece live band (put together with the help of Klaxons’ James Righton and featuring Little Boots ) at the new purpose-built 3,000-capacity ABBA Arena at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in a run of shows from May 27, 2022.

The show has been put together by Svana Gisla (who produced Jay-Z  and  Beyoncé ‘s On the Run Tour), choreographer Wayne McGregor, Johan Renck (who directed  David Bowie ‘s videos for ‘Blackstar’ and ‘Lazarus’), Baillie Walsh (who has directed for Massive Attack  and  Bruce Springsteen ) and producer Ludvig Andersson (son of ABBA’s Benny Andersson and producer of And Then We Danced , Yung Lean ‘s ‘In My Head’ and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ).

“I worked for many years with Johan Renck,” Svana Gisla told NME . “He’s my partner and we have a company together. We worked with David Bowie before he passed, and we swore that after that we’d never do another music project again.

“Then a few months later, Johan called me up and said, ‘You know that thing you said about never working in music again? Well, how about ABBA?’ If there was one name he could have pulled out of a hat that would have changed my mind, then it would have been them.”

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A press conference last week heard how the band will be presented as digital characters of “ABBA in their prime” from 1979, which have been created using performance capture techniques on ABBA in recent years to animate them and make them look “perfectly real”. Using 160 cameras, the band “performed every song to perfection over five weeks” with the technical team “capturing every mannerism, emotion and the soul of their beings” to create something that’s not “a version or a copy of ABBA, but actually them”.

“That was incredible – that moment when we filmed them in Stockholm and you had the four of them in their motion capture leotards,” Baillie Walsh told NME . “They looked quite absurd, but it was ABBA! The four of them walked onto that stage and it was extraordinarily emotional. There’s a chemistry that happens between certain people that when they come together, something magical happens. All we had to do was capture that. They soon got over the silliness of the suits, they performed, and as each day went by they got more relaxed, more into it and more ABBA.”

He continued: “Most days the whole set was in tears, and there were a lot of people on that set. When you hear them play any of their back catalogue, it brings back so many memories for people. ABBA are part of our DNA because we’ve grown up with them. I’m more than a fan. They’re part of who I am. It chokes me up now, just talking about it.”

Ludwig Andersson explained how the show was captured with a mixture of painstaking techniques and the “magic” of the band themselves.

“The foundation of this is the five weeks they spent in the motion capture studio where they performed each song over and over again, and we recorded every moment and all the tiny nuances,” he said. “It was a surreal experience to have these 75-year-old ABBA stars in these suits with nearly 200 people watching.

“You’re so focussed on the job that you sometimes forget that you’re looking at ABBA putting on a performance every day for five weeks. There were moments when everyone just dropped what they were doing because some strange magic happened in the room.

He went on: “We were all reminded of what we were supposed to be doing – which was to capture that. If we succeeded remains to be seen, but we gave it one hell of a shot. ABBA, though, were magnificent in their performance, their vigour and their bravery.”

As well as their movements, the technical team also spent time capturing all of the usual elements that make up a more traditional live performance.

“We don’t want to give all the surprises away because we want everyone to come and enjoy it, but there will be lots of hidden surprises, hopefully a bit of stage banter and 100 minutes of pure ABBA euphoria to be part of in this arena that someone had the brilliant idea of them building in the middle of a pandemic and Brexit,” said Svana.

“People talk about ‘immersive experiences’ a lot, but I don’t think that phrase has ever been truly delivered. I hope that when you stand in that arena, within everything that we’ve created specifically to give you that experience, you’ll go, ‘Ah, that’s what it really means’. The audio, the visuals, everything is 360 and there will just be ABBA in the air.”

Many reports have been referring to ‘Voyage’ as a ‘hologram’ show, but the team behind it are keen to point out that this is far from being the case.

“It’s absolutely not a hologram show, and I think that’s a blessing,” Walsh told NME . “Holograms can be overblown. Once you’ve experienced that, then where do you go? It feels as if someone is there, but too many people rely on the idea that it’s enough. I don’t think it is enough – that’s the failure of the Whitney Houston show and various others who have tried it.

“The fact that we couldn’t do a hologram made us push harder to make this show much better. It’s much more varied, it’s incredibly generous, every song is a different picture, the lighting is going to be extraordinary, the real world and the digital world will meld together.”

He added: “No one can stand or sit there and say, ‘Oh, ABBA weren’t there’. You will think they are there. It’s about that suspension of disbelief. That’s been my job, really – to make it the most enjoyable, believable and acceptable idea that the audience are on stage with ABBA.”

As for the purpose-built ABBA Arena, the team told NME how it was totally necessary in order to create this immersive experience which could not easily be created or built in another arena. As well as boasting “the biggest screens in Europe”, the Arena will also become “the home of ABBA in London” for as long as it’s required.

“We’re not doing holograms and we’re not doing a movie, so if you have a digital performer then you need to think about how you bring that digital performer into the physical space,” Svana explained. “It’s about that third dimension where the digital and the physical meet and the boundaries between those two worlds become that space. That’s what the arena is. It’s in the fabric of the building and you can’t just recreate it anywhere.

“We quickly realised that if we were going to go down this road to bring ABBA back, then it had better be mind-blowing.”

Asked what fans will see when entering the Arena, Ludwig replied: “You will immediately recognise it as a concert. You have a stage, you have a live band, you have ABBA. There will be close-ups of ABBA on the screens. So far, that’s identical to any pop concert of today – the difference is going to be that this whole space has been designed and detailed to cater to the perfect communal musical experience.

“We had to build our own arena to do that. For what we need, you can’t put this up or take it down in a day. We started with ABBA and then the arena exploded outwards like the Big Bang. Hopefully, you will feel that you are in this magical ABBA space circus church. It’s a concert on steroids, basically.”

He added: “However technically advanced these avatars are, this can never only be about technology. Like all music, you need to keep that open highway into your soul. We need to work on that emotion. It needs to always be about the audience feeling something. We’re just trying to enhance that feeling and crank it up to 11 with everything we have at our disposal.”

Tickets for ABBA ‘Voyage’ went on general sale today (September 7) , with the website advertising gigs at the London venue from May into October next year. Beyond that, Walsh suggested that the show could run for up to 30 years.

“We have the ability to make changes,” he said. “We’ve recorded other songs so we can introduce them along the way. How long could it go on for? Well, how long has ‘ABBA GOLD’ been in the charts? If we can visually make ABBA’s music come alive and keep changing it, then it has endless possibilities.”

Svana agreed: “I want to say we’ll be there for as long as anyone wants us to be. We don’t have a cut-off point and we want everyone to come and see it. It’s for more than ABBA fans. Anyone who loves music could come, anyone who loves experiencing something new could come. Anyone who wants to have a memorable experience with friends and family could come.”

Asked if the ABBA Arena and ‘Voyage’ experience would likely have residencies in other cities around the world, Ludwig said: “Being a magical space circus, we will sooner or later turn up in your neighbourhood, but it will be a while. It would be an immensely slow tour, if any – but it can travel, so it shall if needs be. For now, we’re in London.”

ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ concerts will run from May 27, 2022, following the accompanying album which will be released on November 5, 2021, on Universal Music.

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Abba Voyage review: jaw-dropping avatar act that’s destined to be copied

Abba Arena, London Any sense you’re not actually in the presence of the band dissolves during a setlist of crowd-pleasing hits

T he opening of Abba’s Voyage show is undoubtedly an event – even the band’s most famously publicity-shy member, Agnetha Fältskog, is in attendance – but it’s one accompanied by a genuine sense of mystery. If the mystery isn’t as all-encompassing as that which surrounded the first night of Kate Bush’s return to live performance in 2014 – you at least have a pretty good idea in advance of what songs will be involved, which certainly wasn’t the case then – the question of precisely how Abba will be brought back to life almost 40 years after their last public performance remains veiled in secrecy.

We’ve all seen the band’s eerily de-aged digital avatars – or Abbatars, as they persist in calling them – but what form they take has remained classified: the only solid clue was that they weren’t holograms, which hasn’t stopped the British media doggedly referring to them as holograms ever since.

Whatever they are, the effect is genuinely jaw-dropping. Watching the four figures on the stage, it’s almost impossible to tell you’re not watching human beings: occasionally, there’s a hint of video game uncanny valley about the projections on the giant screens either side of the stage, but your attention is continually drawn to the human-sized avatars.

They gaze sadly into each other’s eyes during The Winner Takes It All, deliver cheesy speeches between songs – “I wasn’t married at the time,” says the figure representing Björn Ulvaeus, explaining the genesis of Does Your Mother Know, “or was I?” – and protest at the British judges giving them nul points during the 1974 Eurovision song contest. There are even lulls in the performance, just as there are at a “real” gig, usually when the action shifts from the avatars to more straightforward footage: a lengthy animation shown during Eagle providing an opportunity to visit the bar.

Aside from an opening salvo involving 1982’s darkly powerful The Visitors and Hole In Your Soul, a track from 1978’s Abba The Album, the setlist largely sticks to crowd-pleasing greatest hits – Waterloo, SOS, Knowing Me Knowing You – rather than scouring Abba’s oeuvre for deep cuts. This is both smart commercial sense – this is a show designed to run and run, potentially in several countries at once, something you’re never going to achieve if diehard fans are your target market – and probably for the best, given what a treacherous business scouring Abba’s oeuvre for deep cuts is.

You’re as likely to encounter something like Put On Your White Sombrero or King Kong Song – “can’t you hear the beating of the monkey tom-tom?” – as you are anything approaching the sublimity of Lay All Your Love On Me or The Winner Takes It All. Just as the Dolce & Gabbana-designed costumes rework the band’s 70s wardrobe in a tasteful way – evincing a restraint that Abba themselves seldom deployed in their heyday – so the music, performed by a live band, is occasionally faintly tweaked from the recorded versions the vocals are taken from: Voulez-Vous feels punchier and more raw.

By the time the show hits its finale with Thank You For The Music followed by Dancing Queen, any lingering sense that you’re not actually in the presence of Abba has dissolved. It’s so successful that it’s hard not to imagine other artists following suit – you strongly suspect the surviving members of Queen will be on the blower to Industrial Light & Magic before the week’s out.

However, Ulvaeus has already issued a warning to anyone planning on following Abba’s path to resurrect a deceased star: “It is better to do it with someone who is alive because … the measurements in the cranium are the same.” It’s a warning that’s going to go unheeded: access to cranial measurements or not, Voyage is the kind of triumph that’s destined not merely to run and run but be repeatedly copied.

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• The Contents
• The Making of
• Where Are They Now
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Q & A with Ed Stone

golden record

Where are they now.

• frequently asked questions
• Q&A with Ed Stone

Mission Status

Instrument status.

Where are the Voyagers now?

To learn more about Voyager, zoom in and give the spacecraft a spin. View the full interactive experience at Eyes on the Solar System . Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

View Voyager

Space Flight Operations Schedule (SFOS)

SFOS files showing Voyager activity on Deep Space Network (DSN)

2024 Tracking Schedule

2023 tracking schedule, 2022 tracking schedule, 2021 tracking schedule, 2020 tracking schedule, 2019 tracking schedule, 2018 tracking schedule, 2017 tracking schedule, 2016 tracking schedule, 2015 tracking schedule, 2014 tracking schedule, 2013 tracking schedule, 2012 tracking schedule, 2011 tracking schedule, 2010 tracking schedule, 2009 tracking schedule, 2008 tracking schedule, 2007 tracking schedule, 2006 tracking schedule, 2005 tracking schedule, 2004 tracking schedule, 2003 tracking schedule, 2002 tracking schedule, 2001 tracking schedule, 2000 tracking schedule, 1999 tracking schedule, 1998 tracking schedule, 1997 tracking schedule, 1996 tracking schedule, 1995 tracking schedule, 1994 tracking schedule.

How to stream the new ABBA Voyage songs online

Listen to the latest tracks from ABBA Voyage

For the first time in 40 years, ABBA is ready to make us fall in love with its disco-pop tracks all over again with its new studio album, Voyage. While the full album won't be playable until 5 November later this year, you can listen to the first two tracks online right now.

Alongside the release of Don't Shut Me Down and I Still Have Faith In You, ABBA has announced a new concert too. Called ABBA Voyage (confusing, we know) the pop stars will be brought to life using virtual avatars alongside a 10-piece live band in a custom-built arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

Much like the music on their new album, ABBA Voyage will blend the old and new into a music experience you don't want to miss. Though if you can't wait until Spring 2022 to get a taste of what ABBA has to offer us, here's how you can boogie down to two of their new songs today.

• Can VR concerts save a music industry brought to its knees by Covid-19?
• How can Spotify keep artists happy? Live music events , apparently
• Which is better? Apple Music vs Spotify

How can I listen to ABBA’s new music?

Thankfully ABBA's new music isn't exclusive to any one streaming service, and there isn't a tricky technique to have to use to access it. It's all available right now on all of the best music streaming services out there. That includes popular favorites like Spotify , Apple Music , and Amazon Music as well as all the others you can find links to from ABBA's official page .

You can even find music videos for the new tracks on YouTube along with a trailer for the new ABBA concert.

If you want to snag tickets to ABBA Voyage they will go on sale to the public at 5 AM ET / 10 AM BST / 7 PM ACT on 7 September. You can find out more and register your interest on the ABBA Voyage page to get early access, too.

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• Object Information
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Voyager 1 live position and data

This page shows Voyager 1 location and other relevant astronomical data in real time. The celestial coordinates, magnitude, distances and speed are updated in real time and are computed using high quality data sets provided by the JPL Horizons ephemeris service (see acknowledgements for details). The sky map shown in the background represents a rectangular portion of the sky 60x40 arcminutes wide. By comparison the diameter of the full Moon is about 30 arcmins, so the full horizontal extent of the map is approximately 2 full Moons wide. Depending on the device you are using, the map can be dragged horizondally or vertically using the mouse or touchscreen. The deep sky image in the background is provided by the Digitized Sky Survey ( acknowledgements ).

Current close conjunctions

List of bright objects (stars brighter than magnitude 9.0 and galaxies brighter than magmitude 14.0) close to Voyager 1 (less than 1.5 degrees):

Additional resources

• 15 Days Ephemerides
• Interactive Sky Map (Planetarium)
• Rise & Set Times
• Distance from Earth

Astronomy databases

• The Digitized Sky Survey, a photographic survey of the whole sky created using images from different telescopes, including the Oschin Schmidt Telescope on Palomar Mountain
• The Hipparcos Star Catalogue, containing more than 100.000 bright stars
• The PGC 2003 Catalogue, containing information about 1 million galaxies
• The GSC 2.3 Catalogue, containing information about more than 2 billion stars and galaxies

The Belem: Everything you need to know about the iconic ship as the Olympic flame heads to France

In 1896 the first Olympic Games of the modern era took place in Greece. That same year, approximately 2,000 kilometres away at a shipyard in France, the Belem was born.

More than a century later, the Games will finally bring them together.

On 27 April, the Olympic flame will leave Greece aboard the Belem, Europe's oldest three-masted barque, and set sail towards France, the host country of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 .

The 12-day voyage between Piraeus and Marseille will add another chapter to the remarkable story of the ship, which was honoured as a historic monument 40 years ago.

• Discover the full Olympic Torch Relay

Merchant vessel, yacht and training ship: the three lives of the Belem

The Belem has crossed many seas, but had even more adventures. Today, the ship is one of the oldest of its kind, which is a remarkable feat considering its early brushes with disaster.

A fire broke out onboard the ship during its maiden voyage to Belem, the port city in Brazil that lends its name to the iconic vessel, but it was able to continue its inaugural visit after undergoing repairs in France.

After several transatlantic voyages transporting cocoa, rum and sugar to France, the Belem managed to survive another tragedy: the Montagne Pelée eruption in 1902.

The city of Saint-Pierre in Martinique was destroyed and more than 30,000 people lost their lives in the disaster, but the Belem somehow managed to escape without any damage.

Fortuitously, due to a lack of space in the harbour the day before, the ship docked in another bay safely away from the city.

But nothing could prevent the Belem from the rise of steamships. Gradually, its commercial use transporting goods began to decrease and in 1914 was sold to the Duke of Westminster.

The Belem was turned into a yacht and a few years later was purchased by the Irish engineer and brewer Sir Arthur Ernest Guinness, who changed the ship’s name to Fantôme II.

After a trip around the world and a few decades later, the ship was sold once again; this time to an Italian charity, and it was re-named Giorgio Cini after the non-profit organisation which now owned it.

The boat, originally constructed in a Nantes shipyard, was transformed into a training ship and for the next 15 years sailed across the Mediterranean before technology caught up with the vessel once more.

By the 1960s, considered too old and too small, the Giorgio Cini never left harbour. It was handed over to the carabinieri (Italian police) for training, and when they decided it was no longer fit for purpose, they sold the vessel for one symbolic lira (around €0.01) to a shipyard in Venice.

As restoration costs spiralled, it wasn’t long before the barque was back on the market.

Historic monument and Olympic Games London 2012

The National Union of Savings Banks of France (L’Union Nationale des Caisse d'Epargne de France) and the Navy (Marine Nationale) bought the Belem in 1979 and handled its restoration over the years that followed.

Due to these efforts, on 27 February 1984, the Belem joined a prestigious list of historic monuments.

The honour gave the ship back its prestige and captured the country’s imagination as it became an iconic vessel among sailing boats. It remains a training ship to this day, and every year welcomes aboard thousands of visitors who discover life on the open sea.

When there are no interns pulling up its sails, the Belem travels the world to represent France on the international stage; celebrating everything from the Statue of Liberty's centenary in New York to Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee in London.

The Belem stayed in the UK capital city that particular year - crossing Tower Bridge and docking on the Thames to great fanfare - as it hosted families of French athletes competing at the Olympic Games London 2012 .

Twelve years later the Belem will drop its anchor in Olympic waters once again, as Marseille kick-starts the celebration of a lifetime .

The Belem in numbers

• Length: 58m
• Height: 34m (above sea level)
• Maximum engine speed: 9.2 knots (approximately 17km/h)
• Number of voyages: 33 (between 1896 and 1914)
• Construction time: 6 months
• First launched: 10 June 1896

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NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft finally phones home after 5 months of no contact

On Saturday, April 5, Voyager 1 finally "phoned home" and updated its NASA operating team about its health.

NASA's interstellar explorer Voyager 1 is finally communicating with ground control in an understandable way again. On Saturday (April 20), Voyager 1 updated ground control about its health status for the first time in 5 months. While the Voyager 1 spacecraft still isn't sending valid science data back to Earth, it is now returning usable information about the health and operating status of its onboard engineering systems. 

Thirty-five years after its launch in 1977, Voyager 1 became the first human-made object to leave the solar system and enter interstellar space . It was followed out of our cosmic quarters by its space-faring sibling, Voyager 2 , six years later in 2018. Voyager 2, thankfully, is still operational and communicating well with Earth. 

The two spacecraft remain the only human-made objects exploring space beyond the influence of the sun. However, on Nov. 14, 2023, after 11 years of exploring interstellar space and while sitting a staggering 15 billion miles (24 billion kilometers) from Earth, Voyager 1's binary code — computer language composed of 0s and 1s that it uses to communicate with its flight team at NASA — stopped making sense.

Related: We finally know why NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft stopped communicating — scientists are working on a fix

In March, NASA's Voyager 1 operating team sent a digital "poke" to the spacecraft, prompting its flight data subsystem (FDS) to send a full memory readout back home.

This memory dump revealed to scientists and engineers that the "glitch" is the result of a corrupted code contained on a single chip representing around 3% of the FDS memory. The loss of this code rendered Voyager 1's science and engineering data unusable.

The NASA team can't physically repair or replace this chip, of course, but what they can do is remotely place the affected code elsewhere in the FDS memory. Though no single section of the memory is large enough to hold this code entirely, the team can slice it into sections and store these chunks separately. To do this, they will also have to adjust the relevant storage sections to ensure the addition of this corrupted code won't cause those areas to stop operating individually, or working together as a whole. In addition to this, NASA staff will also have to ensure any references to the corrupted code's location are updated.

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On April 18, 2024, the team began sending the code to its new location in the FDS memory. This was a painstaking process, as a radio signal takes 22.5 hours to traverse the distance between Earth and Voyager 1, and it then takes another 22.5 hours to get a signal back from the craft. 

By Saturday (April 20), however, the team confirmed their modification had worked. For the first time in five months, the scientists were able to communicate with Voyager 1 and check its health. Over the next few weeks, the team will work on adjusting the rest of the FDS software and aim to recover the regions of the system that are responsible for packaging and returning vital science data from beyond the limits of the solar system.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.

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• Robb62 'V'ger must contact the creator. Reply
• Holy HannaH! Couldn't help but think that "repair" sounded extremely similar to the mechanics of DNA and the evolution of life. Reply
• Torbjorn Larsson *Applause* indeed, thanks to the Voyager teams for the hard work! Reply
• SpaceSpinner I notice that the article says that it has been in space for 35 years. Either I have gone back in time 10 years, or their AI is off by 10 years. V-*ger has been captured! Reply

Admin said: On Saturday, April 5, Voyager 1 finally "phoned home" and updated its NASA operating team about its health. The interstellar explorer is back in touch after five months of sending back nonsense data. NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft finally phones home after 5 months of no contact : Read more

evw said: I'm incredibly grateful for the persistence and dedication of the Voyagers' teams and for the amazing accomplishments that have kept these two spacecrafts operational so many years beyond their expected lifetimes. V-1 was launched when I was 25 years young; I was nearly delirious with joy. Exploring the physical universe captivated my attention while I was in elementary school and has kept me mesmerized since. I'm very emotional writing this note, thinking about what amounts to a miracle of technology and longevity in my eyes. BRAVO!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE PAST & PRESENT!!!

• EBairead I presume it's Fortran. Well done all. Reply

SpaceSpinner said: I notice that the article says that it has been in space for 35 years. Either I have gone back in time 10 years, or their AI is off by 10 years. V-*ger has been captured!

EBairead said: I presume it's Fortran. Well done all.

• View All 13 Comments

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Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage

The first model of the USS Enterprise is displayed at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, shake hands over the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at the Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, left, and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, the son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, view the recently recovered first model of the USS Enterprise at Heritage Auctions in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The model — used in the original “Star Trek” television series — has been returned to Eugene, decades after it went missing in the 1970s. (Josh David Jordan/Heritage Auctions via AP)

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DALLAS (AP) — The first model of the USS Enterprise — used in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series — has boldly gone back home, returning to creator Gene Roddenberry’s son decades after it went missing.

The model’s disappearance sometime in the 1970s had become the subject of lore, so it caused a stir when it popped up on eBay last fall. The sellers quickly took it down, and then contacted Dallas-based Heritage Auctions to authenticate it. Last weekend, the auction house facilitated the model’s return.

Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, said he’s thrilled to have the model that had graced the desk of his father, who died in 1991 at age 70.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves,” Roddenberry said. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

AP AUDIO: Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage.

AP correspondent Margie Szaroleta reports on the return of the original model of the USS Enterprise from the TV show “Star Trek.”

Heritage’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said the auction house was contacted by people who said they’d discovered it a storage unit, and when it was brought into their Beverly Hills office, he and a colleague “instantly knew that it was the real thing.”

They reached out to Roddenberry, who said he appreciates that everyone involved agreed returning the model was the right thing to do. He wouldn’t go into details on the agreement reached but said “I felt it important to reward that and show appreciation for that.”

Maddalena said the model vanished in the 1970s after Gene Roddenberry loaned it to makers of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979.

“No one knew what happened to it,” Rod Roddenberry said.

The 3-foot (0.91-meter) model of the USS Enterprise was used in the show’s original pilot episode as well as the opening credits of the resulting TV series, and was the prototype for the 11-foot (3-meter) version featured in the series’ episodes. The larger model is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The original “Star Trek” television series, which aired in the late 1960s, kicked off an ever-expanding multiverse of cultural phenomena, with TV and movie spinoffs and conventions where a fanbase of zealous and devoted Trekkies can’t get enough of memorabilia.

This USS Enterprise model would easily sell for more than $1 million at auction, but really “it’s priceless,” Maddalena said.

“It could sell for any amount and I wouldn’t be surprised because of what it is,” he said. “It is truly a cultural icon.”

Roddenberry, who was just a young boy when the model went missing, said he has spotty memories of it, “almost a deja vu.” He said it wasn’t something he’d thought much about until people began contacting him after it appeared on eBay.

“I don’t think I really, fully comprehended at first that this was the first Enterprise ever created,” he said.

He said he has no idea if there was something nefarious behind the disappearance all those decades ago or if it was just mistakenly lost, but it would be interesting to find out more about what happened.

“This piece is incredibly important and it has its own story and this would be a great piece of the story,” Roddenberry said.

Thankfully, he said, the discovery has cleared up one rumor: That it was destroyed because as a young boy, he’d thrown it into a pool.

“Finally I’m vindicated after all these years,” he said with a laugh.

JO 2024 : la flamme olympique embarque sur le Belem pour rejoindre Marseille

Remise à la France vendredi à l’occasion d’une cérémonie à Athènes, en Grèce, la flamme olympique embarque samedi à bord d’un trois-mâts, le Belem, pour un voyage de douze jours jusqu’à Marseille. C'est la première fois de l’histoire des Jeux olympiques qu'elle elle ne traversera pas la mer en avion.

Publié le : 27/04/2024 - 07:10

La flamme des Jeux olympiques de Paris-2024, allumée le 16 avril à Olympie , a largué les amarres samedi 27 avril à bord du trois-mâts Belem du port du Pirée, près d'Athènes, pour rallier Marseille. Elle arrivera le 8 mai, avant d'entamer son long voyage à travers la France . 

"C'est une si grande émotion", a déclaré à cette occasion Tony Estanguet, président du comité d'organisation des JOP, qui avait reçu symboliquement la flamme la veille à Athènes , des mains du président du comité olympique hellénique Spyros Capralos.

"Maintenant, nous allons (la) ramener en France avec ce bateau, le Belem, qui date lui aussi de 1896", année des premiers Jeux olympiques de l'ère moderne, "quelle fantastique coïncidence !" a-t-il ajouté.

Allumée le 16 avril à Olympie, la flamme olympique a été remise vendredi aux organisateurs français lors d'une cérémonie au Stade Panathénaïque d'Athènes. Elle doit désormais rejoindre l'Hexagone, où elle arrivera par Marseille, ville fondée par les Grecs vers 600 avant J.-C, le 8 mai.

Tony Estanguet a annoncé que le nageur Florent Manaudou , quadruple médaillé olympique et notamment champion olympique du 50 m nage libre en 2012 à Londres, serait le premier porteur de la flamme dans la cité phocéenne.

"C'était une évidence pour nous que la flamme revienne en France dans les mains d'un Olympien, l'un des plus emblématiques de sa génération", a dit le patron du Cojo lors de sa prise de parole, avant de recevoir la flamme des mains de Spyros Capralos, président du comité olympique hellénique.

"Quelle chance d'avoir l'une des plus mythiques fratries du sport français pour cette formidable aventure" a-t-il ajouté, en référence au fait que sa sœur aînée, Laure Manaudou , avait été la première relayeuse française à Olympie le 16 avril.

À lire aussi Tout ce qu’il faut savoir sur le Belem, sur lequel naviguera la flamme olympique depuis la Grèce

Douze jours de voyage

La flamme olympique a ainsi passé la nuit à l'ambassade de France à Athènes, conservée dans une lanterne olympique, avant d'entamer samedi son voyage vers la France à bord du Belem, un navire du XIXe siècle.

Dimanche, le navire quittera le canal de Corinthe, une prouesse d'ingénierie du XIXe siècle construite avec la contribution des banques et des ingénieurs français.

Après son arrivée dans le Vieux-Port le 8 mai, la flamme entamera son parcours en France . Elle traversera le pays à travers 450 villes, passant également par les Antilles et la Polynésie française, pour arriver à Paris le jour de la cérémonie d'ouverture des Jeux, le 26 juillet. 

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• JO Paris 2024
• Tony Estanguet

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