Three master Belem set sail from Piraeus, transporting the Olympic Flame to Marseille

The historic sailboat is expected to arrive in Marseille on May 8, from where the torch relay will begin throughout France, until the opening ceremony of the top event, scheduled for July 26. Belem was built in 1896, the year of the first modern Olympic Games! Its arrival in Marseille, a city founded by the Greeks around 600 BC, is expected on May 8, while before that, the historic ship will travel through the Corinth Canal, a 19th-century engineering feat built with the contribution of French banks and engineers. 

Upon its entry into the old port of Marseille, it will be accompanied by 1024 vessels. Simultaneously, recreational activities will take place. The next day will mark the start of the Olympic relay race in the city, with scheduled stops at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde and the Stade Vélodrome. 

Then it will cross the country, "visiting" the Antilles and French Polynesia, and will arrive in Paris, where the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place, scheduled from July 26 to August 11. The Olympic Flame was lit on April 16 in Ancient Olympia and was handed over on Friday to the French organizers during a special ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.