Olympic Torch Reaches Paris in Elegant Style

Before an enthusiastic crowd on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the grand boulevard of the French capital, the Olympic torch arrived in Paris on Sunday in a luxury Louis Vuitton suitcase, 12 days before the opening of the Games.

The custom-made suitcase stood for some time on a pedestal in the middle of the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, a major intersection, looking a little lonely. It was then opened and the torch handed to Thierry Henry, one of the greats of French soccer, who was dressed for the occasion in chic white sweats.

As cheers rose from the crowd, Mr. Henry set off at a slow jog, bearing the now-lit torch toward the nearby Place de la Concorde. It is closed, like much of Paris, to accommodate Olympic events, including break dancing, or breaking, which is set to make its first appearance at the Games.

Since the flame arrived in France more than two months ago, welcomed in the ancient port city of Marseille by plumes of red, white and blue smoke — the colors of the French flag — it has been on a far-flung journey, including to Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion and other overseas French departments.

The flame will be in Paris for two days, crisscrossing the city in the hands of 540 torchbearers to the Sorbonne, the Panthéon, the Louvre, the Place Vendôme, the Hôtel de Ville and other Paris landmarks. Concerts, dances and other cultural events will accompany its passage.