The torch for the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics was lit on Wednesday during a scaled-down indoor ceremony in ancient Olympia due to weather warnings.
The traditional ceremony—usually held in the stadium where the ancient Games were born in Greece, with actresses portraying priestesses who ignite the flame using the sun’s rays and a parabolic mirror—was canceled ahead of time due to forecasts of heavy rain. Instead, with sunshine outside, authorities from the archaeological museum of Olympia held a discreet event featuring a video of Monday’s rehearsal in the ancient stadium, showing the flame being lit before it was brought into the museum for the official torch ignition.
Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis became the first torchbearer to depart from the museum, shortly before being joined by Italian cross-country skiing legend and multi-Olympic medalist Stefania Belmondo for a joint segment of the relay.
After a weeklong journey around Greece, the flame will be handed over in Athens on December 4 to the organizers of the February Games, before traveling to Italy to begin a months-long relay.
“The past and the present are truly coming together,” said International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry in a short address.
The torch will pass through 60 cities and 300 towns across Italy, with a total of 10,001 torchbearers, before reaching Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 26 — exactly 70 years after the opening ceremony of the 1956 Winter Olympics held at the same venue.
The Italian relay will visit iconic sites such as Rome’s Colosseum and the Grand Canal of Venice, with stops in southern cities including Palermo and Naples to spark enthusiasm in regions less associated with winter sports.
The journey will conclude at San Siro Stadium in Milan on the night of February 6 for the opening ceremony of the Winter Games.