Post by : Rameen Ariff

The torch for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics was lit on Wednesday in a special indoor ceremony at ancient Olympia, Greece. This marked an important step as organizers prepare for the Games scheduled to take place in February 2026.

Usually, the torch lighting ceremony is held outdoors at the ancient stadium of Olympia, where the Olympic Games were first born. In this traditional event, actresses dressed as priestesses light the flame using the sun’s rays and a parabolic mirror. However, due to heavy rain warnings and bad weather forecasts, this year’s ceremony was moved indoors to the Olympia archaeological museum.

During the ceremony inside the museum, officials watched a video showing the flame lighting that took place on Monday during a rehearsal in the ancient stadium. The flame was then brought inside the museum to officially light the torch for the upcoming Games.

Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis was honored as the first torchbearer. Shortly after, he was joined by Stefania Belmondo, an Italian cross-country skiing champion who has won several Olympic medals. Together, they started a joint relay leg symbolizing the close connection between Greece, where the Games began, and Italy, the host country for 2026.

Following the Greek relay, the Olympic flame will be handed over in Athens to the Italian organizers on December 4. It will then begin a long domestic journey across Italy, traveling through 60 cities and 300 towns. This relay will include 10,001 torchbearers, spreading excitement about the Winter Olympics across the country.

The torch’s route will pass through many famous Italian landmarks such as the Colosseum in Rome and the Grand Canal in Venice. It will also visit southern cities like Palermo and Naples, where winter sports are less common, to bring Olympic spirit to all regions.

The relay will end in Milan on February 6, when the torch enters the San Siro stadium during the official opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. This journey celebrates 70 years since the 1956 Winter Olympics were held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the two host cities this time.

International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry spoke at the event, highlighting the symbolic meaning of the torch lighting. She said it reminds everyone of the Olympic values: peaceful competition, friendship, and respect. She also noted that lighting the flame connects the ancient past of Olympia with the shared future of the Olympic Games.

This torch lighting event is a key moment for the upcoming Winter Olympics, bringing together history, culture, and the spirit of sport as the world looks forward to the Games in Italy next year.

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