Around 3,000 French police on motorcycles, in jogging gear and on skates will protect the Olympic torch relay today as it departs from the Eiffel Tower and criss-crosses Paris amid threats of pro-Tibet protests.

WITH Beijing on the horizon, she could become one of the greatest Olympic swimmers of all time. But French siren Laure Manaudou is spending more time these days splashed over the gossip sheets, thanks to a rocky romance and a fiery temperament.