Ancient Olympia (Greece), Nov 26 (IANS) The Olympic flame for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games was ignited at the birthplace of the Games in Ancient Olympia, in western Greece, on Wednesday. Due to adverse weather conditions, the ceremony was staged inside the Archaeological Museum near the ancient stadium.

The flame will travel across Greece before being handed over to Italy at Athens’ Panathenaic Stadium on December 4.

Greek Actress Mary Mina, in the role of an ancient Greek High Priestess, lit the flame at the ceremony and gave it, along with an olive branch, to the first torchbearer, Greek rower Petros Gkaidatzis, during the ceremony for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Ancient Olympia.

The first torchbearer, Greek rower Gkaidatzis, handed over the torch to former cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo as the torch relay started after the Olympic flame lighting ceremony.

Next up was a group led by Dimosthenis Tampakos, who won Olympic gold and silver in artistic gymnastics (rings). He is the president of the Hellenic Olympic Academy. Alongside him were three rowers: Nikolaos Skiathitis, Ioannis Tsilis, and Stergios Papachristos. The last torchbearer was Aikaterini Oikonomopoulou, who won a silver medal for Greece in water polo at Athens 2004.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry delivered a speech on the occasion.

Reflecting on the significance of the occasion, Coventry said: “We are extremely happy that today’s ceremony reminds us what the Games stand for. They are about bringing people together in peaceful competition, in friendship, and in respect. As we light the Olympic flame for Milano Cortina, we will carry this light from the past to the present and into the future. And it’s a shared future that we all want to see. This is why we firmly believe in the Olympic Truce. In laying down our differences and wanting to hope for a brighter future.”

She added, “These Games come at a critical point in our history. In a divided world that we live in today, the Games hold a truly symbolic place. And it’s our duty, our responsibility, to ensure that the athletes from around the world can come together peacefully, and that they can inspire the dreams and hopes of those around the world that are watching.”

This symbolic moment of the Olympic Flame lighting represents the link between the ancient and modern Games and has been a traditional feature of the Olympics since 1936. It was performed in front of the Temple of Hera, with the high priestess invoking the god Apollo to send his light, capturing the sun’s rays with a parabolic mirror to light the flame, a symbol of purity, peace, and the eternal continuity of the Olympic spirit.

The Olympic flame will now travel across Greece towards Athens, where the official handover ceremony will take place at the Panathenaic Stadium on 4 December. It will then leave for Italy, spending 5 December in Rome before the Italian section of the Olympic Torch Relay begins on 6 December.

–IANS

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