You know the Games are happening when the cauldron is lit. The Olympic and Paralympic flames are the most important symbol of the Games, not only signifying that the Games are taking place, but also acting as a symbol of peace that unifies people.
Today, the countdown to any Olympics isn’t complete without the torch relay, which brings this symbol of peace and unity to all corners of the host nation before it heads to the host city. There, it will light a cauldron at the Opening Ceremonies and burn for the duration of the Games. When it goes out, that signifies the end of the celebration, but we can look forward to another in two years’ time.
Milan-Cortina 2026 will have two torch relays: One for the Winter Olympics and one for the Winter Paralympics. Billed as the “Greatest Journey,” the plans look epic. When you have a country with a history and culture as vast as Italy’s, you can’t not be wowed by the torch relay.
The Olympic Torch Relay for Milan-Cortina 2026
2026 Winter Olympics torch relay map (via Milan-Cortina 2026)
The Olympic Torch Relay will be a 63-day celebration that kicks off on November 26, 2025 with a ceremony in Olympia, Greece. There, actresses portraying ancient priestesses light the flame using a parabolic mirror that captures the sun’s rays and ignites a torch. From there, it spends several days traveling through Greece as a reminder of the country’s significance in the history of the Olympics.
After the flame leaves Greece, it will arrive in Rome on December 4. It’ll stay in the capital city for a couple of days before continuing the journey to the Opening Ceremonies. The torch relay route will traverse the entire country, and the flame will travel through all of the country’s 110 provinces before arriving at the Opening Ceremonies in Milan. Sixty cities will host celebrations to welcome the flame.
The Paris 2024 torch had an epic relay, and Milan-Cortina’s looks to be no different, with a 12,000km route. Look for the flame to show up at many of Italy’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. Coca-Cola is back as a sponsor, along with Eni, so look for them to have some fun things to go along with each stop.
Organizers plan on having 10,001 torchbearers to help the flame make its journey. Applications for torchbearers will open in February 2025, per an email from Milan-Cortina 2026.
The Paralympic Torch Relay for Milan-Cortina 2026
The Paralympic torch relay also spreads the same message of peace and unity and gets people excited for the Paralympic Games. That said, it’s not as extensive or involved, mainly because there’s not enough time for it. That’s because this relay takes place during the down time between the Olympics and Paralympics.
On February 24, 2026–just two days after the Olympics end–the Paralympic torch will be ignited at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, where those Games were invented. This relay will last 11 days and cover 2,000 kilometers across northern Italy before arriving in Verona for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony.
Like the Olympic torch relay, this edition will also have city celebrations along the way. From February 24 to March 2, there will be five Flame Festivals in Milano, Torino, Bolzano, Trento and Trieste. On March 3, the flame arrives in Cortina d’Ampezzo, which is the hub for these Paralympics. It will then go to Venice and Padova before getting to the end of its journey at Verona, site of the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies.
Allianz is the main sponsor for the Paralympic torch relay.
The Paralympic torch relay will be looking for 501 torchbearers to carry the flame on its journey. That application will also be available in February 2025.
2026 Winter Paralympics torch relay map (via Milano-Cortina 2026)
What’s the history of the Olympic torch relay?
The Olympic torch relay has a rather auspicious history–it was one of the ceremonial elements introduced at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics, which were a showcase of Nazi propaganda. While fire was a part of the ancient Olympics, the torch relay is a modern Olympic invention created by Carl Diem, head of the Berlin 1936 Games.
When Adolf Hitler and his propagandist right man Joseph Goebbels realized how the Olympics could be used to enhance Germany’s image, the torch relay became a way for German leaders to connect the country (and its leaders’ principles) with ancient Greece.
The first torch relay involved 3,000 runners, and although it had its own share of difficulties (including having to build roads to even reach Olympia) it proved to be successful and was replicated at the next Olympics in 1948. Since then, it’s become an important precursor to the Games.
The torch relay wasn’t part of the Winter Olympics until Oslo 1952. Instead of generating the flame at Olympia, Oslo 1952 organizers opted to start it in the valley of Morgedal, Norway, the birthplace of skiing. It wasn’t until Innsbruck 1964 that the flame was lit in Olympia.
What’s the history of the Paralympic torch relay?
The Paralympics and Olympics are two different organizations, although they do work together to have their respective Games managed by the same host city.
The Games that became known as the Paralympics started in a hospital in Stoke Mandeville, England, that was known for treating World War II soldiers who’d become injured during the war and had acquired disabilities. Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, a neurologist who treated many of these soldiers, discovered that sport and activity were an important part of the rehabilitation process and so adapted many sports for disabled patients. This gave birth to the Stoke Mandeville Games, which kicked off in 1948, purposely designed to run parallel to the London 1948 Summer Olympics. Eventually, this grew into the Paralympic Games we know today.
The first Paralympic torch relay took place at the Seoul 1988 Games. This event took place only within South Korea, and had a short 105km route. Nearly 4 out 10 torchbearers had a disability, highlighting the purpose behind the Games.
Since then, the Paralympic torch relay has grown in scope to gain as much prominence as the Olympic torch relay. Look for it to inspire you in 2026!