Milano Cortina Lights the Fire Within

Milano Cortina Lights the Fire Within

by Philip Barker in Ancient Olympia

The Winter Torch Relay for Milano Cortina 2026 is to begin at an indoor location on Wednesday (November 26) in an attempt by officials to minimise the impact of adverse weather.

The Flame is to be handed to alpine skier Alexandros “AJ” Ginnis by High Priestess Mary Mina in a reduced Ceremony at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. This is a change from the usual practice when the Flame is passed at the stadium which staged the Games of antiquity.

It is the first time in 58 years that such a measure has been necessary as cloudy skies massed above the village on the eve of the Ceremony.

The performers took advantage of fine weather two days before to light a Flame at a rehearsal held outside in the grounds of the Temple of Hera. In accordance with normal practice, this was conserved in a safety lamp and is set to be used in the Ceremony itself.

The Flame was taken in procession to the ancient Stadium under the watchful eye of choreographer Artemis Ignatiou and the sequence will be screened as part of the worldwide broadcast.

This will be the first Flame Lighting Ceremony for Kirsty Coventry since she took office as IOC President.

Usually it is attended by crowds from Olympia and other local towns and villages but this time entry to the formal event will be restricted to officials and dignitaries.

In 2002 at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Leann Rimes sang “Light the Fire Within.” This time that motto will be true in more ways than one.

“The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) is making every possible effort to ensure that the sanctity, tradition, and spirit of the Ceremony are fully honoured despite the necessary adjustments,” explained a statement by the HOC.

The programme features some familiar elements including the recitation of a poem “The Light of Olympia” introduced to the Ceremony in 1964, the year the Winter Flame was first lit in Ancient Olympia.

It will be performed in Greek by actor Ioannis Stankoglou, who was also the speaker in 2017, the last time it was included.

The Olympic Anthem is to be sung by soprano coloratura Christina Poulitsi.

Original plans also called for groups of local schoolchildren to form the Olympic Rings and choristers from the Italian school in Athens to perform the national anthems.

Organisers may make further adjustments to the programme and reduce the number of participants depending on the space available in the museum.

The first Torchbearer is set to be alpine skier Alexandros “AJ Ginnis who won slalom silver at the 2023 International Ski Federation (FIS) World Championships in Courchevel.

He will be joined by double Olympic cross country skiing gold medallist Stefania Belmondo, the first time joint bearers have carried the Flame at the start of the Relay in Ancient Olympia,

This adds a nice touch of symmetry because it was Belmondo who ignited the final cauldron almost 20 years ago at the Torino 2006 Games, the last on Italian soil.

The pair are to pay a joint tribute at the memorial stele to Baron Pierre de Coubertin. The Flame will then be passed to 2002 and 2006 luge champion Armin Zöggeler to carry up a series of steps promoting the Olympic values of “Friendship, Excellence and Respect” before entering the grounds of the International Olympic Academy.

It is also expected that he will pause at a monument dedicated to Greek sports official Ioannis (John) Ketseas and German educationalist Carl Diem as “The inspirers and pioneers of the International Olympic Academy.”

Both men played an important role in establishing the Torch Relay.

When Cortina d’Ampezzo first hosted the Games in 1956, their Relay was entirely on Italian soil. The Flame was lit at the Capitoline Hill in Rome in another indoor ceremony.

1948 discus champion Adolfo Consolini carried the first Torch across the Piazza Campidoglio. The Relay was also notable for what may have been the first official nomination of a woman Torchbearer, world roller skating champion Alberta Vianello.

When the Winter Games next returned to Italy, bad weather forced a reserve Flame to be used for the Lighting Ceremony of Torino 2006.

The Ceremony for those Games was also the last where the priestess transferred the Flame to the first runner from a marble altar in the “Coubertin Grove” rather than at the stadium.

The two most recent Winter Lighting Ceremonies had both been threatened by the weather with a flash storm in the day before the Pyeongchang Flame was due to be lit ,and grey skies before the Ceremony for Beijing. In both cases all was well on the day.

A “rehearsal” Flame was also used to light the first Torch for Paris 2024, indicated by a small change in the wording of the invocation by the High Priestess.

Instead of the usual words “Apollo! Send us your light!”, the words she spoke were “You have sent us your light” as the reserve Flame was deployed.

The Lighting Ceremony was held once before in the museum. For the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics it took place in December 1967.

Organisers  had decided to stage the longest relay yet for a Winter Games.

Lit on December 16, it continued throughout January and ended with an Opening Ceremony on February 6, the same day on which the Milano Cortina Games are set to open next year. The unpromising weather was not their only problem.

The political situation in Greece caused doubts that the Flame would even be lit.

Earlier in the year, a group of Generals had seized power in a military coup. A few days before the scheduled lighting Ceremony, King Constantine launched an ultimately unsuccessful counter coup.

The uncertainty delayed the departure of the official French delegation to Athens by a day.

As a result of heavy rain, the officials moved the ceremony inside.

The Flame was carried into the museum in an amphora by a priestess known as the Estiada. This was placed on top of a stone altar.

The ritual was conducted against a backdrop of ancient statues.

The role of the High Priestess was played by actress Maria Moscholiou who kindled more Olympic Flames than anyone else in a career which spanned some 16 years.

As the other performers fell to their knees, she began the traditional prayer to Apollo.

The first torchbearer Tassos Bahouros then ran into position to begin a Relay which ultimately involved over 5000 bearers before it reached Grenoble.

The Milano Cortina Relay in Greece is scheduled to last until December 4. After the handover in Athens, it will be flown to Rome to begin a 63-day journey across Italy culminating at the San Siro on February 6.

The identity of the final cauldron lighters remains a closely guarded secret although recent history suggests that these might well feature joint bearers as seen at every Winter Games at least since Vancouver 2010 and of course at Paris 2024 when judo champion Teddy Riner and athletics gold medallist Marie Jose Perec set in motion an unusual “Vasque Olympique.”

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