The wait is almost over: Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 announces on September 26th 2025 the first six Torchbearers of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, exactly two months before the lighting of the Olympic Flame in Olympia, Greece. The newly revealed names are part of the 10,001 Torchbearers who will take part in the Torch Relay, starting on 6 December from Rome. Over two months, the Olympic Flame will cross Italy before arriving at Milano’s Stadio San Siro for the Opening Ceremony on 6 February 2026. They include three outstanding talents who greatly represent the contemporary and innovative Italian spirit of the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, and three powerful and inspiring stories that embody the values of the Olympic Flame, an universal symbol of union and peace.
The first Torchbearers
The first Torchbearers come from the worlds of sport and entertainment: Achille Lauro, an artist with a unique identity, one of the most remarkable figures in the Italian music scene; Flavia Pennetta, an Italian tennis icon, winner of the 2015 US Open and four Billie Jean King Cups with Team Italy; Francesco Bagnaia, two-time MotoGP World Champion and Moto2 World Champion, a symbol of courage, determination, and speed.
The inspiring stories include Andrea and Franco Antonello, examples of resilience and love. Andrea, a young man with autism, and his father Franco chose to transform the challenge of disability into an extraordinary journey. Together, they share a universal message of hope and inclusion.
Then, Dario Pivirotto, born in 1936 in Vinigo di Cadore, who has already carried the Olympic Flame during the Cortina 1956 and Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. He embodies continuity and timeless passion for sport across generations. Lastly, Lucia Tellone, a chef from Abruzzo who gave a new life to her little town’s community oven after 35 years of disuse. For the past five years, she has been teaching children and adults the art of bread-making for free, showing how a simple gesture can become a symbol of community, sharing, and rebirth.
The journey toward the Olympic Torch Relay will be recounted through three announcement moments, each bringing to light new emotions and unique stories:
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26 September 2025 – introduction of the first Torchbearers
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26 October 2025 – second announcement with new protagonists
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26 November 2025 – lighting of the Olympic Flame in Olympia
The Olympic Torch Relay
The Olympic Torch Relay will last 63 days, cover 12,000 kilometres and pass through 60 stage cities. It will begin on 26 November 2025 in Olympia, with the traditional lighting of the sacred fire, which will then arrive in Italy, in Rome, on 4 December. Two days later, on 6 December, the Olympic Torch Relay will officially begin.
The Olympic Flame will reach Naples on Christmas Day and celebrate the New Year in Bari. On 26 January 2026, it will return to Cortina d’Ampezzo, exactly 70 years after the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Olympic Winter Games. It will then conclude its journey in Milan on 6 February 2026, entering Stadio San Siro.
The journey is also designed to pay tribute to the extraordinary cultural and historical heritage of Italy, which is indeed the country with the largest number of UNESCO sites worldwide.
Coca-Cola and Eni are the Presenting Partner of the Olympic Torch Relay and they will be along during this last stretch before the Milano Cortina 2026 Games kick off.
The Beginning in Greece
The Torch Relay will begin in Greece with the traditional lighting of the Olympic Flame in Olympia on 26 November 2025. On 4 December 2025, the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony will be held in Athens. On 6 December, the Olympic flame will ignite Rome and the whole Country with the start of the Journey.
Key Dates
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26 November 2025: Olympic Flame lighting in Olympia
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4 December 2025: Handover Ceremony in Athens and arrival of the Flame in Roma
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6 December 2025: Start of the Olympic Flame Relay in Roma
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23 December 2025: Arrival in Naples
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31 December 2025: New Year’s Eve in Bari
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26 January 2026: Arrival in Cortina d’Ampezzo, on the day of the 70th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the Cortina 1956 Olympic Winter Games
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6 February 2026: Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games at San Siro Olympic Stadium.