The Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Torch Relay

For me, there is something about the Olympic flame that bridges the gap between the ancient dust of Olympia and the high-tech arenas of today.

ROME, ITALY – DECEMBER 6: A torchbearer shares the torch flame to Italian singer Achille Lauro carrie the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics torch in front of the Colosseum during the Torch Relay to Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, on December 6, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Getty Images

10,001 Torchbearers

With less than two weeks until the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games, the torch has continued to make its way across Italy. Last week the torch was received by schoolchildren’s choirs in Legnago, the city of roses in Rovigo, and the Sanctuary of the Seven Churches in Monselice. The torch journey, which began in ancient Olympia, Greece November 26^th, 2025, continued to Italy, starting in Rome December 4^th.

It is a journey of over 7450 miles involving 10,001 torchbearers, each one adding a new chapter to a story that began nearly a century ago. Among the thousands of torchbearers along the way was 92-year old Abdon Pamich, an Olympic gold medalist in race walking in Tokyo 1964, who carried the flame through Vicenza. His participation in the relay was as much about honoring the past as it is about celebrating the present.

UC Berkeley Professor Makes The Cut

UC Berkeley professor Matteo M. Garbelotto-Benzon and his service dog, S’Abba, will carry the torch on Wednesday, Jan. 28, in Canazei, a town near where the professor was raised in Italy’s Dolomite mountain range. “This is one of the first times a service dog for a self-sufficient person with a mobility disability will carry the torch,” he was quoted as saying at a fundraiser. “S’Abba and I are super excited about this honor and will be heading to Val di Fassa soon.”

Garbelotto-Benzon is a forestry professor at UC Berkeley who had a major ski accident in 2018. Following rehabilitation for his injuries and S’Abba’s help, Garbelotto-Benzon was able to walk again. “I worried as an American that they would simply assign me to any place, so I was a bit nervous,” Garbelotto-Benzon told UC Berkeley officials. “When I found out I would be carrying the torch in the Dolomites I was so happy and thankful I started crying.”

The Olympic Torch: A Brief History

The tradition of the Olympic torch relay is younger than you might think. While the flame itself appeared at the 1928 Amsterdam Games, the relay was the brainchild of Carl Diem for the 1936 Berlin Games. The Winter Olympics didn’t get their own relay until 1952 in Oslo, where the first winter torch was a simple brass and steel alloy burning liquid gas. Fast forward to 2026, and the evolution is staggering. The current torch, designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, is a 1,060-gram flute of recycled aluminum, finished in a shimmering light blue meant to evoke the shades of the sky. It runs on renewable liquefied petroleum gas, a nod to the sustainability goals that now define modern international events.

The Evolution Of The Torchbearer

But the real magic isn’t in the metal; it’s in the hands that hold it. Throughout history, the relay has transitioned from a purely athletic endeavor to a global cultural moment, which has meant celebrity participation. Everyone from Muhammad Ali and David Beckham to Snoop Dogg and Salma Hayek have carried the flame.

The 2026 Games will continue this tradition of torchbearers which include athletes, celebrities, and just ordinary folks. This week, it was announced that Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie—the leads of the HBO Max smash Heated Rivalry—will serve as official torchbearers. Their inclusion reflects the modern Olympic strategy of bridging sports and popular entertainment to reach younger audiences.

The Route Through Italy

On January 26, it will arrive in Cortina d’Ampezzo to commemorate exactly 70 years since the city first hosted the Winter Games in 1956. This will be near the end of the 7,450-mile route through Italy. “The route has been designed to highlight the country’s most evocative landscapes and stories of talent, courage and solidarity that bring them to life,” emphasizes Maria Laura Biasone, Director of Ceremonies at Fondazione. “It is a journey that celebrates creativity and inclusion, the very values the Games bring to the world.”

The End Of The Journey: San Siro Stadium

Opened in 1926 in Milan’s San Siro district, the stadium universally known as San Siro—officially Stadio Giuseppe Meazza since 1980—stands as one of world sport’s most enduring and atmospheric venues. It was conceived as a soccer-only stadium in the 1920’s, at a time when many stadiums still prioritized athletic tracks, placing fans close to the field and setting a new standard in Italy.

Originally holding around 35,000 spectators, it expanded dramatically in the postwar years, becoming city owned and, from 1947 onward, a shared home for AC Milan and Inter Milan, an arrangement that gave birth to generations of legendary clashes between the clubs. Its most iconic architectural transformation came ahead of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when a third tier, a sweeping roof, and massive cylindrical towers reshaped it into the instantly recognizable concrete cathedral known today.

During its history, San Siro has hosted European Cup and Champions League finals, and some of soccer’s most storied players, while also serving as a premier concert venue for artists from Bruce Springsteen to U2. As of 2026, despite ongoing debates about replacement or redevelopment, San Siro remains in active use as the shared home of Milan’s two soccer giants, a major site for international matches and large-scale events, and a monument to nearly a century of sports, cultural, and civic memories which echo through its stands.

The Olympic Opening Ceremonies February 6

When the flame finally reaches Milan’s San Siro Stadium on February 6, it won’t just be a piece of sports equipment entering the arena. Whether it’s being carried by an actor, an Olympic legend, or an anonymous Italian citizen, the torch reminds us that the Games are more than just a competition—they are a shared global experience for humanity.