2026 Winter Olympics torch relay
The torch relay (Italian: Il Viaggio della Fiamma Olimpica) for the 2026 Winter Olympics is planned to commence on 26 November 2025 in Olympia, Greece, and conclude on 6 February 2026 in Milan, Italy, coinciding with the opening ceremony at San Siro.[1] The routes for both the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays were unveiled by the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 on 26 November 2024, one year before the start of the former.[1] Following the lighting of the Olympic flame in Olympia, a handover ceremony will happen in Athens on 4 December 2025, where the flame will then arrive in Rome and visit all 110 provinces of Italy, making 60 stops over 63 days across 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi) and involving 10,001 torchbearers.[1][2] The torch will be in Naples for Christmas, in Bari for New Year's Eve, and in Cortina d'Ampezzo on 26 January to commemorate 70 years since it hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics.[1] While the torch is in Piedmont, a tribute is planned for skier Matilde Lorenzi, who died while training in October 2024.[3] The torch relay plans to showcase many of the World Heritage Sites in the country.[1] On 29 November 2024, Italian comedy trio Gli Autogol were announced as official narrators for the torch relay.[4] Torch and torchbearersThe design of the torch was unveiled on 14 April at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, as well as simultaneously at Milan's Triennale; Osaka and Milan are twin cities.[5][6] The Olympic torch, which was designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, is light blue, shaped like a flute, and weighs 1,060 grams (37 oz). Made from recycled aluminium, it was designed to be refillable and runs on a renewable liquefied petroleum gas primarily made from waste.[6] For the torch relay, 10,001 torchbearers are expected to be involved. Applications for torchbearers opened on 12 February 2025 for the Italian leg,[2][7] and on 10 September 2025 for the Greek leg.[8] Alpine skier AJ Ginnis has been selected by the Hellenic Olympic Committee to be the first torchbearer once the flame has been lit in Olympia.[9] Other torchbearers that have been announced include Italian singer Achille Lauro, former tennis player Flavia Pennetta, and motorcycle racer Francesco Bagnaia.[10] Stops in GreeceThe flame will be lit on 26 November 2025. As per tradition, the lighting ceremony will take place at the Temple of Hera in Olympia using a parabolic mirror to concentrate the rays of the sun; the flame will then make its way through the country.[2][11] Announced on 9 May 2025,[12] the torch relay in Greece is scheduled to involve over 450 torchbearers covering more than 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi) through 23 regional units.[13] The Greek leg will pass by the country's twelve largest ski resorts and a total of 36 welcoming ceremonies will take place over the nine days before the flame's arrival at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens for the handover ceremony on 4 December.[13] Main stops on the Greek leg of the 2026 Winter Olympics torch relay
Stops in ItalyThe flame is scheduled to arrive at Rome's Quirinal Palace on 4 December 2025.[2][14] The relay through the country will start two days later from the Stadio dei Marmi and travel through several regions including Tuscany before visiting the islands of Sardinia and Sicily and then returning to the mainland.[3][14] The route plans to visit all 20 regions of Italy and 110 provinces.
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