Khaberni - The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics 2026 torch arrived in Rome on Thursday, marking the start of a two-month relay tour in Italy before the games open on February 6th.
The torch reached the Italian capital on Thursday afternoon after being handed over to the organizers earlier in a ceremony held at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, which witnessed the revival of the first modern Olympics in 1896.
The torch was received from the airplane by Italian tennis star Jasmine Paolini and the president of the Milan-Cortina organizing committee, Giovanni Malagò.
The torch was then transferred to the Italian President Sergio Mattarella at his official residence, the Quirinal Palace, where it will remain overnight.
On Friday morning, a torch lighting ceremony will be held at the presidential palace, attended by the president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry.
Then on Saturday, a 63-day, 12,000-kilometer relay tour begins, passing through Italy's major cities and the archaeological site in Pompeii, and featuring landmarks like the "Stadio dei Marmi" next to the Olympic Stadium, as well as St. Peter's Square, the Pantheon, the ancient Imperial Fora, and the Colosseum.
About 10,000 people will take turns carrying the torch.
The Winter Olympic Games are held between February 6 and 22, hosted by Italy for the third time, and it's the first edition to take place in Western Europe since the Turin games in 2006.
In contrast, the Paralympic Winter Games will take place between March 6 and 15.
The competitions extend over a wide area from Milan to the Dolomites in northeastern Italy.
The ice sports competitions will take place in Milan, while Bormio and Cortina will host the alpine skiing events.
On the other hand, the biathlon events will be held in Anterselva, while Val di Fiemme will host the Nordic skiing competitions, and Livigno in the Italian Alps will host the freestyle skiing and ice skating competitions.
Although the outdoor competitions are held at a sufficient elevation, the organizers of the Milan-Cortina games store quantities of artificial snow in preparation for any emergencies.
As has happened in many previous editions, such as Athens 2004, the games face some delays in building facilities.
A senior official in the International Ski Federation said this week that the body is concerned about delays at the freestyle skiing and snowboarding (snowboard) venue.
The International Ice Hockey Federation and the American Hockey League also expressed their concerns about delays in building the main arena where the sport's games will be held.
Local organizers affirm that the facilities will be ready on time.
