Milano Cortina 2026 opens with a first: Olympic cauldrons lit in two cities
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتسابThe Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games officially opened with a historic first, twin Olympic cauldrons lit in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, alongside the main opening celebrations at San Siro Stadium, Reuters reported.
Xinhua said the cauldrons were lit at Milan’s Arco della Pace and Cortina’s Piazza Angelo Dibona as part of a two-city ceremony built around the theme of “Armonia” (harmony).
Reuters said Italian ski legends Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the Milan flame, while Olympic champion Sofia Goggia lit the Cortina cauldron.
The opening coincided with the final day of the official Olympic Torch Relay, which ran from 6 December 2025 to 6 February 2026, passing through more than 300 municipalities and featuring 10,001 torchbearers, according to Olympics.com.
The Games run from 6 to 22 February 2026 and feature 116 events across eight sports and 16 disciplines, with around 2,900 athletes from over 90 NOCs, the IOC says.
