Plans revealed for Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic torch relay

Milano Cortina 2026 has announced plans for what should be a spectacular Olympic torch relay throughout the host nation of Italy ahead of the next Olympic Winter Games. The organizing committee has dubbed the torch relay the “Greatest Journey.”

As is tradition, the Olympic flame will be lit within the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece to honour the ancient origins of the Games. The flame is always lit using solely the sun’s rays, concentrated by a parabolic mirror, making it the purest possible flame.

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The lighting of the Olympic flame will take place on November 26, 2025. It will arrive in Rome, Italy on December 4. Over the course of its 63-day journey, the flame will traverse  12,000 kilometres, crossing all 110 provinces of Italy, while passing between the hands of more than 10,000 torch bearers.

The flame’s travels will seek to shed light on Italy’s history and culture; it is scheduled to pass more than 60 venues listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The torch relay will provide a special full circle moment for Italians when the Olympic flame returns to Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 26, 2026, exactly 70 years after it was last there for the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Olympic Winter Games.

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The flame’s journey will end on February 6, 2026, when it arrives at San Siro Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of Milano Cortina 2026, alongside the greatest athletes from all over the world.

The design of the torch that will be carried on this incredible relay is expected to be revealed in April 2025 at the Italian Pavilion of Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan and simultaneously in Milan.