There will be a moment of remembrance for Matilde Lorenzithe young skier who died a month ago after a training accident, on the journey of the Olympic flame which will start exactly one year from now, on 26 November 2025, with the lighting in Olympia. The Organizing Committee of the Games of Milan-Cortina 2026 revealed the routes of the Olympic and Paralympic Flames.
The flame will be in Rome on 6 December 2025two months before the opening ceremony of the games in Milan, but before arriving in the Lombard capital, it will pass through Cortina d’Ampezzo on 26 January 2026 on the anniversary of the first Winter Olympic Games organized in Italy, in its third passage through Ampezzo. It will be a Naples for Christmas 2025, in Bari on New Year’s Eve, on 6 January in Bologna, on the 11th in Turin in memory of the 2006 Olympics. 10,001 torchbearers will travel 12 thousand km in 63 days for as many stopover cities in 110 provinces with Coca-Cola, Worldwide Partner of the International Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and Eni, Premium Partner of the Milan Olympic and Paralympic Games Cortina 2026.
The route is also designed to pay homage to the great historical and cultural heritage of our country which boasts the largest number of UNESCO sites in the world: the Flame will illuminate many of the 60 places registered on the list of world heritage sites. «The arrival of the Flame in Italy, and its journey throughout the nation, is the moment in which the Games enter people’s homes, bringing the magic of sport everywhere. It is the moment in which Milano Cortina 2026 becomes Italy by celebrating the union of national pride”, says Andrea Varnier, CEO of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026.
After its lighting in Stoke Mandeville, the Paralympic Flame will travel for 11 days and will travel two thousand kilometers until arriving at the Verona Arena on March 6th. Here the partner is Allianz. «The Paralympic Flame will be lit on 24 February in Stoke Mandeville in England, the historic birthplace of Paralympic sport», declares Maria Laura Iascone, Ceremonies Director of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. It will animate 5 Flame Festivals from 24 February to 2 March in Milan, Turin, Bolzano, Trento and Trieste, with the union of the Flames ceremony on 3 March in Cortina d’Ampezzo. From March 4th, the Flame will reach Venice and Padua, to make its entrance on March 6th at the Verona Arena for the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
The closing ceremony of the Olympic Games will have taken place in the same Arena a few days earlier in an ideal handover. Verona is not a venue for competitions, but it was strongly supported by the president of Veneto Luca Zaia. «Verona has a theater that is unique in the world», explains Zaia with the pride of having seen the first Olympic dossier spread across the territory. The mayor of Verona Damiano Tommasi says he was lucky enough to participate, as a footballer, in the ad games Atlanta 1996 and returns to the ceremony space. «Our challenge is to make the arena accessible with an elevator system in a structure that is older than the Colosseum. The whole square will be involved, but the important point is the space for sport in our territory.”
«We must aim for universality, we are Italy, a free and open country. It would be nice even for a meter to have the Holy Father as torchbearer”, said the president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Giovanni Malagò, on the sidelines of the presentation of the journey of the Olympic flame.
«The flame represents the sacredness of the Olympic and Paralympic world. Carrying the torch is an opportunity, an honor and a pride. His passage has the effect of lighting hearts and warming enthusiasms” explains Malagò describing the desire to bring the Olympics to all Italians. «When the Flame travels our streets it will overwhelm millions of people with a unique and unrepeatable warmth: what only sport can convey. By igniting in people’s hearts the awareness of being part of something bigger, the Journey of the Olympic Flame and the Journey of the Paralympic Flame will be a unique opportunity for Italy to shine, once again, on the world stage.”
There will be famous torchbearers as always happens, but there will be the possibility to apply (starting next February) and you will have to motivate your desire to run with the Olympic torch for 200 metres. The stories of the torchbearers must be inspirational and the aim is to be close to young people who have not yet experienced the Olympic emotion. This desire also passes through social media which will have the support and commitment of the A’sutogoals that will be drivers and motivators.
The passing of the Flames represents the fundamental values ​​of Olympism and Paralympism, embodying the feelings of Friendship, Peace, Hope and Team Spirit. The Olympic Flame wants to contribute to building a better world by educating young people through sport practiced in accordance with Olympism and its values. The Paralympic Flame, however, represents the best tool to activate a process of change in society and increase the awareness necessary to break down physical and social barriers.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
