The Olympic torch relay will make its closest stop to the KMC on Thursday when it passes through the French city of Forbach. The city is less than an hour’s drive from Kaiserslautern or 90 minutes by train, on the other side of the border from Saarbrücken.

The torch is scheduled to be at the Forbach Olympic Pool shortly after 11 a.m. At 11:23 a.m., it will start a roughly 2-mile journey through the city’s streets and end up at the Schlossberg Stadium at 12:14 p.m. The stadium is at the foot of the 13th century Schlossberg Castle.

Later on, the torch will enter the French city of Metz from 5:57 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Free music and activities will be held at Metz’s Place de la République from 3:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. The last torchbearer will arrive there and the Olympic cauldron will be lit before the relay moves on. More information can be found at the Paris Olympics website.

The Olympic torch relay will pass trough Forbach, France on Thursday, on its long trip to Paris. (Paris2024.org)