The torch relay () for the 2026 Winter Olympics began on 26 November 2025 in Olympia, Greece, and concluded on 6 February 2026 in Milan, Italy, coinciding with the opening ceremony at San Siro. The routes for both the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays were unveiled by the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 on 26 November 2024, one year before the start of the former.
Following the lighting of the Olympic flame in Olympia, a handover ceremony took place in Athens on 4 December 2025. The flame then arrived in Rome and visited all 110 provinces of Italy, making 60 stops over 63 days across and involving 10,001 torchbearers. The torch was in Naples for Christmas, Bari for New Year's Eve, and in Cortina d'Ampezzo on 26 January to commemorate 70 years since it hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics. While the torch is in Piedmont, a tribute is planned for skier Matilde Lorenzi, who died while training in October 2024. The torch relay plans to visit every World Heritage Site in the country. On 29 November 2024, Italian comedy trio were announced as official narrators for the torch relay.
Torch and torchbearers
The design of the torch was unveiled on 14 April at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, as well as simultaneously at Milan's Triennale; Osaka and Milan are twin cities. The Olympic torch, which was designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, is light blue, shaped like a flute, and weighs . Made from recycled aluminium, it was designed to be refillable and runs on a renewable liquefied petroleum gas primarily made from waste.
For the torch relay, 10,001 torchbearers are expected to be involved. Applications for torchbearers opened on 12 February 2025 for the Italian leg, and on 10 September 2025 for the Greek leg. Rower Petros Gkaidatzis was the first torchbearer once the flame was lit in Olympia; alpine skier AJ Ginnis had originally been selected by the Hellenic Olympic Committee, but was unable to participate due to injury. Water polo player Eleni Xenaki was the last torchbearer for the Greek leg.
Torchbearers who have been announced for the Italian leg include singer sport shooter Abhinav Bindra and footballers Cristiana Girelli and Zlatan Ibrahimović. In addition, the digital ambassadors for the Games will also serve as torchbearers, including actress .
Stops in Greece
The Greek leg was announced on 9 May 2025, involving over 450 torchbearers covering more than through 23 regional units. The Greek leg will also pass by the country's twelve largest ski resorts for the first time. A total of 36 welcoming ceremonies took place over the nine days before the flame's arrival at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens for the handover ceremony on 4 December 2025.
The Olympic torch relay began on 26 November 2025 with a ceremony at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. Original plans to host the ceremony at the Stadium at Olympia, as with previous torch relays, were changed due to forecasts of poor weather during the week. The actual lighting took place two days prior on 24 November at the Temple of Hera, using a parabolic mirror to concentrate the rays of the sun. The flame was then preserved in a safety lamp until the ceremony, where it was used to light the Olympic torch in the museum. In Patras, the torch made a stop for a ceremony at the former home of Kostis Palamas, lyricist of the Olympic Hymn.
Also due to inclement weather, it was announced that the handover ceremony would be greatly reduced, with the artistic component being cut, and the number of participants limited. The ceremony saw performances by singing the Olympic Hymn, Tassis Christoyannis singing the national anthem of Italy, and singing the national anthem of Greece. Water polo player Eleni Xenaki and her teammates lit the cauldron at the Panathenaic Stadium, after which Hellenic Olympic Committee president handed the torch to Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 president Giovanni Malagò. Tennis player Jasmine Paolini was selected as a torchbearer during the ceremony and accompanied the flame on an ITA Airways flight, arriving at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
+ Olympic torch relay route in Greece Day Date (2025) Stops Notable torchbearers 1 Petros Gkaidatzis, rower Stefania Belmondo, former cross-country skier Armin Zöggeler, former luger Dimosthenis Tampakos, former gymnast and Hellenic Olympic Academy president Nikolaos Skiathitis, rower Ioannis Tsilis, rower Stergios Papachristos, rower Aikaterini Oikonomopoulou, water polo player 2 , actor Charalampos Flouskounis, taekwondo athlete Zhang Boheng, gymnast Wang Siyu, basketball player Chen Yujie, sprinter Ioannis Antoniou, alpine skier 3 Antigoni Drisbioti, race walker Ioannis Bourousis, basketball player Dimitrios Tsiamis, triple jumper Ioannis Tsilis, rower Apostolos Angelis, cross-country skier 4 Dimosthenis Tampakos, former gymnast and Hellenic Olympic Academy president Iordanis Konstantinidis, former wrestler Apostolos Telikostoglou, taekwondo athlete Evangelia Anastasiadou, rower Ioannis Christou, rower Zoi Fitsiou, rower Dimitris Diamantidis, former basketball player 5 Jeanne Hristou, fencer Anastasios Tsiou, shot putter Sophia Ralli, alpine skier 6 Polyniki Emmanouilidou, sprinter Elisavet Mystakidou, taekwondo athlete Dimitrios Pelkas, footballer , alpine skier Apostolos Taskoudis, wrestler Konstantinos Douvalidis, hurdler Maria Georgatou, rhythmic gymnast Polymnia Saregkou, former basketball player 7 Evangelia Psarra, former archer Stergios Papachristos, rower Eleftheria Ftouli, former synchronised swimmer Panagiotis Giannakis, former basketball player 8 Athanasios Ghavelas, sprinter Virginia Kravarioti, sailor Vasileios Polymeros, rower Stefanos Ntouskos, rower 9 Stefanos Dimopoulos, sprint canoeist Stefanos Chandakas, former sailor and Hellenic Olympic Committee secretary-general Kimberly Guilfoyle, U.S. ambassador to Greece Patrick Soon-Shiong, surgeon Georgios Kougioumtsidis, wrestler Jasmine Paolini, tennis player Filippo Ganna, cyclist Eleni Xenaki, water polo player
Stops in Italy
The flame arrived at Rome's Quirinal Palace on 4 December 2025, with the relay through the country starting two days later from the Stadio dei Marmi. It travelled through several regions including Tuscany before visiting the islands of Sardinia and Sicily and then returning to the mainland. The route plans to visit all 20 regions of Italy and 110 provinces before ending at San Siro for the opening ceremony of the Games.
On 16 December, the torch reached Lampedusa, the southernmost part of Italy, transported aboard an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter flown by the Italian Air Force.
+ Stages of the 2026 Winter Olympics torch relay in Italy"Stages", Olympic Torch Relay Milano Cortina 2026, olympics.com, retrieved 20 November 2025. Stage Date Region Stops Notable torchbearers Rome 1 Lazio Gregorio Paltrinieri, swimmer Elisa Di Francisca, former fencer Gianmarco Tamberi, high jumper Achille Polonara, basketball player Matteo Berrettini, tennis player Gigi Datome, former basketball player Andrea Bargnani, former basketball player Max Biaggi, former motorcycle racer Giuseppe Tornatore, film director Noemi, singer Achille Lauro, singer Claudia Gerini, actress Viterbo 2 Rome Ostia Civitavecchia Tarquinia Viterbo Separate convoy: Appian Way Ostia Antica Tivoli Hadrian's Villa Villa d'Este Martín Castrogiovanni, former rugby player Giancarlo Peris, former track athlete Martina Centofanti, rhythmic gymnast , sports commentator Terni 3 Umbria Montefiascone Orvieto Pozzo di San Patrizio Narni Rieti Terni Separate convoy: Cascate delle Marmore Danilo Petrucci, motorcycle racer Alessio Foconi, fencer Massimiliano Rota, former bobsledder Tonino Viali, former runner Perugia 4 Spoleto Foligno Spello Assisi Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi Perugia Piazza IV Novembre Separate convoy: Todi Trevi Andrea Ranocchia, former footballer Simone Giannelli, volleyball player Margherita Castellani, track and field athlete Lamberto Boranga, former footballer Siena 5 Tuscany Gubbio Città di Castello Arezzo Montepulciano Pienza Siena Separate convoy: Crete Senesi Castiglione del Lago Alice Volpi, fencer Paolo Lorenzi, tennis player Matteo Betti, fencer , former basketball player Elena Vallortigara, high jumper Irene Siragusa, sprinter Florence 6 Grosseto Volterra Pontedera Empoli Florence Piazza della Santissima Annunziata Separate convoy: San Gimignano Al Bano, singer , former volleyball player Leonardo Fabbri, shot putter Lorenzo Zazzeri, swimmer Ambra Sabatini, sprinter Giancarlo Antognoni, former footballer Livorno 7 Prato Pistoia Montecatini Terme Great Spa Towns of Europe Lucca Pisa Piazza dei Miracoli Livorno Aldo Montano, fencer , comedian Igor Protti, former footballer , former basketball player Ambra Sabatini, sprinter Nuoro 8 Sardinia Olbia Sassari Porto Torres Alghero Nuoro Separate convoy: Stintino Melissa Satta, television presenter Alessia Orro, volleyball player Nicola Bartolini, gymnast Silvia Basolu, handball player Gianmario Fancello, judoka Cagliari 9 Oristano Sanluri Quartu Sant'Elena Cagliari Separate convoy: Iglesias Su Nuraxi Dalia Kaddari, sprinter Lorenzo Patta, sprinter Giulia Stagno, field hockey player Stefano Oppo, rower Palermo 10 Sicily Castelvetrano Mazara del Vallo Marsala Trapani Palermo Palazzo dei Normanni Piazza Ruggero Settimo Separate convoy: Selinunte Monreale Cathedral Filippo Inzaghi, former footballer Tilman Fertitta, U.S. ambassador to Italy Rachid Berradi, runner Sofia Giunchiglia, sailor Tony Cairoli, motorcycle racer Agrigento 11 Cefalù Enna Caltanissetta Agrigento Valle dei Templi Separate convoy: Piazza Armerina Lampedusa Mirco Scarantino, weightlifter Elena Dibattista, tennis player Matteo Platania, padelista Emma Colletti, karateka Syracuse 12 Licata Gela Ragusa Noto Val di Noto Avola Syracuse Ortygia Separate convoy: Caltagirone Marzamemi Portopalo di Capo Passero Luigi Busà, karateka Valentino Gallo, water polo player Samuele Burgo, canoeist , canoe sprinter , speed skater Matteo Melluzzo, sprinter Nick DiGiovanni, chef Catania 13 Priolo Gargallo Augusta Carlentini Catania Piazza del Duomo Separate convoy: Nicolosi Mount Etna Myriam Sylla, volleyball player Robert Pires, former footballer , futsal player Tania Di Mario, water polo player Salvatore Cavallaro, boxer Reggio Calabria 14 Calabria Acireale Giarre Riposto Messina Reggio Calabria Separate convoy: Taormina Daniele Garozzo, fencer Vincenzo Nibali, former cyclist Daniela Rita Dattilo, runner Fabio Vazzana, triathlete Miriana Tona, tennis player , sports executive Pietro Iemmello, footballer Massimo Palanca, former footballer Catanzaro 15 Gioia Tauro Rosarno Vibo Valentia Lamezia Terme Catanzaro Separate convoy: Tropea Antonio Fuoco, racing driver Anna Russo, writer Simone Alessio, taekwondo practitioner Francesca Stancati, footballer Salerno 16 Campania Cosenza Sala Consilina Battipaglia Bellizzi Salerno Separate convoy: Crotone Maratea Cristo Redentore Paestum Stefano Maiolica, Internet celebrity Rossella Gregorio, fencer Claudia Mandia, archer Pompei 17 Salerno, Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, Gragnano, Castellammare di Stabia, Pompei Alessandra Mastronardi, actress Immacolata Cerasuolo, swimmer Sandro Cuomo, former fencer Naples 18 Pompei, Torre Annunziata, Torre del Greco, Ercolano, Portici, Marcianise, Caivano, San Giorgio a Cremano, Caivano, Scampia, Naples Giuseppe Abbagnale, former rower Fabio Cannavaro, former footballer Massimiliano Rosolino, former swimmer Ciro Ferrara, former footballer Remains in Naples during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day rowspan="2" Latina 19 Lazio Naples, Caserta, Minturno, Formia, Gaeta, Sabaudia, San Felice Circeo, Latina Romano Battisti, former rower Alessio Sartori, former rower , rower Alessia Mesiano, boxer