France's Bastille Day parade meets Olympic torch relay as political crisis continues

Torch bearer Colonel Thibault Vallette, chief squire of the Cadre noir of Saumur and gold medalist in the team event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, holds the Olympic flame during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Avenue Foch. REUTERS - Benoit Tessier

France is marking its national 14 July holiday with the traditional military parade, but with the Olympic Games just two weeks away, it's a rerouted and slightly reduced affair. This year's special guest is not a country, but the Olympic flame.

With the Paris Games round the corner, the national day parade changed its traditional route on the Champs Elysees, and a smaller military contingent marched on the nearby Avenue Foch – one of the most prestigious streets in Paris.