Torchbearers in Marseille kick off Olympic flame’s journey across France

Basile Boli participates in the first stage of the Olympic torch relay in Marseille (Thibault Camus/AP)

Joyful crowds gathered along the streets of France’s southern port city of Marseille on Thursday to see torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame, a day after it arrived on a majestic three-mast ship for a welcoming ceremony.

It was the first leg of an 11-week journey across the country for the torch, which will be carried by about 10,000 bearers as it passes through more than 450 towns until the opening ceremony in Paris on July 26.