originally from Saône-et-Loire, she spent 2 weeks at Belem with the Olympic flame

This Wednesday, May 8, the Belem, the last French three-masted ship, will arrive in Marseille with the Olympic flame. A young girl from Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire), Noémie Olejniezak, spent two weeks in this famous boat as close as possible to this “magnificent” symbol.

It is placed, on a barrel, in a room in the legendary Belem. In front, young people are queuing to take pictures: the Olympic flame really is the star of the coming weeks. Two weeks after leaving Athens, the last French three-masted ship arrived on Wednesday 8 May in Marseille.

On board, the crew is very diverse: 16 experienced sailors teach 14 trainees the rules in Belem. They are strict: the meal is at a defined time, giving up the boat tests takes place throughout the crossing.

But the young people on board do not lose their motivation. “It’s better that there are rules, otherwise we’ll get a little messy on the boat“, explains Noémie Olejniezak, one of the Flame scouts. She was born in Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire), and has lived for several years at the educational home “La Maisonnée” in Mâcon.

This is his second trip aboard the boat. This time the adventure is still grand. “It is still quite strong to have a flame with us aboard the Belem, right next to us. I had already used it when we were at the dock. It did something to me, yes, I was moved“, she adds on board the ship.

These young people aged 17 to 25 have had tumultuous life journeys. Some are in rehabilitation, others fail at school. Noémie arrived at the La Maisonnée home in 2016, after staying with a host family.

“We watched him grow and flourish. When she arrived, she was very reserved. She then got involved in personal assistance associations and since then she has opened up,” explains Anne-Marie Jean-Joseph, director of the home.

One day, La Maisonnée was contacted to find out if the home wanted to participate in an inclusive campaign in Belem. Noémie immediately accepted. “She had a lot of stress, but above all pride and impatience. When her package of clothes arrived in Belem, she couldn’t wait to leave.“, indicates Mégane Lattaud, specialist home educator.

Today, these two teachers measure Noémie’s luck. “Personally, I’m proud and a little envious. She represents our institution, but also our region on board the emblem that is Belem.“

At sea, every day has its share of activities: raising the sails, helping with navigation or cleaning. There are also the essentials, like learning nautical knots, an activity that Noémie quickly mastered. Above all, it allows you to make connections. “We all get along very well. We all laugh and talk together, it’s really good.“

The end of this journey is therefore difficult for all the Belem students. “We’ve all known each other for two weeks, so leaving everyone after two weeks is pretty bad for me. During the briefing, the boss said a few words, and I couldn’t help but cry.” explains an always smiling Noémie.

These two weeks have passed, Noémie must return to everyday life. For her future, she is moving towards a hairdressing CAP. Far from the Olympic Games… although the memories of those two weeks will remain etched in her.