Winter olympic games

Winter Olympic Games: The torch relay for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games began on Saturday morning in Rome, marking the start of a two-month journey ahead of next year's opening ceremony. The launch ceremony was held at the Stadio dei Marmi, an open-air arena lined with Roman-style statues next to Rome's Olympic Stadium.

At around 9:50 a.m., Giancarlo Peris, the final torchbearer of the 1960 Rome Games, brought the flame onto the launch stage. A torch was lit with the flame, and Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 organising committee, lit the cauldron with it.

The first torchbearer, Italy's Olympic champion Gregorio Paltrinieri, lit the relay torch from the cauldron and then ran a half-lap around the stadium to cheers from spectators, officially starting the relay, reports Xinhua.