ARRIVAL IN ITALY
The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, welcomed the Olympic flame of Milano Cortina 2026 to the Quirinale.
The reception ceremony took place in the afternoon in the Cortile d'Onore, against the backdrop of the glass pavilion. CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio and Secretary General Carlo Mornati were in attendance (photo by Simone Ferraro/CONI).
This morning in Athens, the President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malagò, received the torch through the ceremonial passing of the baton with Isidoros Kouvelos, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
The Olympic symbol, returning to Italy 20 years after Turin 2006, was accompanied by the Italian delegation and Olympic athlete Jasmine Paolini. The transfer took place aboard an ITA Airways flight carrying an oil lantern.
Also present were Milan's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, Cortina's mayor, Gianluca Lorenzi, and MiCo 2026's CEO, Andrea Varnier.
The inauguration ceremony for the Olympic flame's journey will be held at the Quirinale tomorrow morning. On Saturday morning, the torch relay will begin at the Stadio dei Marmi and travel across the country, concluding on 6 February with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games at San Siro.
During its 63-day journey, the torch will make 60 stops for celebrations, covering 12,000 km across 110 provinces and over 300 municipalities.
