Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games Torch Relay Ceremony Moved Indoors

The Olympic flame for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games has been lit in Ancient Olympia, as the Ceremony was moved indoors due to the wet weather forecast.

The Ceremony, taking place at the birthplace of the Olympic Games, marks the beginning of the flame’s journey to Italy.  After a week-long relay in Greece, the flame will arrive in Italy on December 4 and travel across the country, leading up to the Opening Ceremony on February 6, 2026 in Milan.

It was hosted by Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, and attended by guests including International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and Constantine An. Tassoulas, president of the Hellenic Republic.

Due to the weather forecast, the flame was lit using the rays of the sun during an earlier rehearsal, in keeping with the purity and preservation of the traditional method.

Petros Gkaidatzis, an Olympic bronze medallist from the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, was the first torchbearer on the Greek leg of the Olympic torch relay.

“We are extremely happy that today’s ceremony reminds us what the Games stand for,” said Coventry. “They are about bringing people together in peaceful competition, in friendship and in respect.

“As we light the Olympic flame for Milan-Cortina, we will carry this light from the past to the present and into the future. And it’s a shared future that we all want to see. This is why we firmly believe in the Olympic Truce. In laying down our differences and wanting to hope for a brighter future.

“These Games come at a critical point in our history. In a divided world that we live in today, the Games hold a truly symbolic place. And it’s our duty, our responsibility, to ensure that the athletes from around the world can come together peacefully, and that they can inspire the dreams and hopes of those around the world that are watching.”

The Ceremony was also attended by distinguished guests including IOC Honorary President Thomas Bach, Greek IOC Member Spyros Capralos, Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Organising Committee, and Mayor of Olympia, Aristeidis Panagiotopoulos.

“The Italian spirit will shine brightly in the flame of the torch, igniting the whole of Italy and uniting the world in the common purpose which sits at the heart of Milan-Cortina: To use the timeless power of the Olympic Games to create new opportunities for young generations through sport,” said Malagò.

The Journey of The Olympic Flame

The relay will cover 12,000km over 63 days, visiting all of Italy’s 20 regions and 110 provinces. The torch will burn bioLPG made from renewable sources, and each torch can be reused and refilled up to 10 times, as part of the Games’ sustainability commitments.

The lighting of the flame has been a longstanding tradition for the Olympic Winter Games since the 1952 edition in Oslo, Norway, and it is designed to embody the Olympic values of peace, friendship and unity.

The 2026 Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 6-22, 2026, and tickets remain on sale.