The torch for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games was officially transferred to Italian organizers in the historic all-marble stadium in central Athens, where the inaugural modern Olympics were held almost 130 years ago. The flame will journey from Athens to Italy, embarking on a 63-day, 12,000-kilometer relay across all 110 Italian provinces before culminating in the opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro Stadium on February 6.
This marks Italy’s first hosting of the flame in two decades, with a total of 10,000 torchbearers set to participate in the relay. Giovanni Malago, the president of the Milan Cortina organizing committee, expressed gratitude for the opportunity as he received the flame, emphasizing the symbolic significance of the moment within the historic stadium.
Despite forecasts of heavy rainstorms in Athens, the ceremony proceeded with a reduced duration due to the weather conditions. Fortunately, the rain held off until the end, allowing the few spectators present to enjoy performances by Greek and Italian artists and a children’s choir. The flame, having spent the night at the Acropolis, was carried into the Panathenaic stadium by Greek water polo player Elena Xenaki, who lit another cauldron along with the women’s national water polo team.
The flame was ignited on November 26 in Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient games that inspired the modern Olympic movement. The tradition of the Olympic flame and torch relay originated from Greek-German collaboration before the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany and has since continued. Greece’s Olympic Committee president Isidoros Kouvelos passed the flame to Malago, highlighting the event’s role in promoting global respect and unity.
Italy, hosting its third Winter Games, faces challenges such as cost overruns and construction delays. The upcoming Games will feature 116 medal events, introduce ski mountaineering, see NHL players returning to Olympic ice hockey, and showcase increased female participation. A separate flame for the Winter Paralympics will be lit on February 24 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, where the Paralympic movement originated.
For those interested in the history of the Olympic flame, a detailed explanation is available in a video titled “CBC Sports Explains: The Olympic Flame,” which delves into the origins of the torch from the ancient Olympics to its present iconic status.