Olympic Flame for 2026 Winter Games Arrives in Italy to Launch Historic Relay

Rome, Dec 5: The Olympic flame for the 2026 Winter Games arrived in Rome on Thursday afternoon, marking the ceremonial start of Italy’s preparations for the Milano Cortina Olympics. Protected inside a special lantern, the flame touched down at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport around 5 pm, where Italian Olympic tennis champion Jasmine Paolini and Milan Cortina 2026 organising committee president Giovanni Malagò carried it off the aircraft.

At around 7 pm, President Sergio Mattarella formally received the flame at the Quirinal Palace, inaugurating the series of official events leading up to the relay launch on December 6.

Malagò described the flame’s arrival as “a moment of great emotion” on Italy’s road to the 2026 Winter Games. He said the flame would soon become a symbol of enthusiasm, harmony, and collective participation, reflecting sport’s power to “unite, inspire, and shape the future.”

The flame will remain at the Quirinal Palace overnight before Friday’s lighting ceremony, which will be attended by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry.

The torch relay will officially begin on Saturday morning at Rome’s Stadio dei Marmi. Over the next 60 days, it will cover 12,000 kilometres, pass through more than 300 municipalities, visit all 110 Italian provinces, and illuminate several UNESCO World Heritage sites. More than 10,000 torchbearers—representing sports, culture, cinema, and civil society will help carry the flame across the country.

During its journey, the flame will celebrate Christmas in Naples, ring in the New Year in Bari, and reach Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 26, 2026, marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games opening ceremony. The relay will conclude on February 6 at Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium.