In the run up to the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic games, 63 Coventry primary, secondary and special educational needs schools participated in a torch relay, the Flame of Friendship, leaving Coventry Cathedral on Thursday 22nd February and finishing on the University of Warwick campus on Monday 8th July.

At the Finale on Monday 8th, 700+ Coventry pupils and teachers met at the University of Warwick Campus to welcome the torch back to where it was created. The celebration started with an Olympic-themed dance led by the Royal Opera House, after which the 700+ pupils and teachers paraded their way to the Sports Hub for a Flame of Friendship 'closing ceremony'.

The torch is bespoke to this event, designed especially for this event, designed as part of a competition in which more than 2000 Coventry pupils took part. The winning design was submitted by a pupil from Finham Park School and has subsequently been redeveloped at WMG, on the University of Warwick campus, by members of their technical team and four T Level students from Rugby College (part of WCG).

This is a Coventry schools activity led by Earlsdon Primary School and supported by the Warwick Institute of Engagement on behalf of the University of Warwick. The event celebrated friendship, team work, sports and international collegiality and had multiple opportunities for people from schools, the community and the university to get involved.

In the sections below you will find more information about the relay race, the closing ceremony, browse pictures and videos from this unifying event.

Browse Photos and Videos from the day