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Due to continuous heavy rain in Ancient Olympia, the organisers of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were forced to move the flame-lighting ceremony from the traditional Ancient Stadium to the nearby Archaeological Museum.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee confirmed the change on Tuesday, noting that the adverse weather made the original outdoor venue unusable.
Because the sun’s rays are needed to ignite the flame via a parabolic mirror at the Temple of Hera ruins, the ceremony will use a reserve flame lit during a rehearsal on Monday.
The torch relay will feature several notable first torchbearers, including Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis (replacing an injured AJ Ginnis) and Italian ski legends Stefania Belmondo and Armin Zoeggeler.
Following a handover in Athens on December 4, the flame will embark on a 63-day, 12,000-kilometre journey across Italy, including a stop at the archaeological site of Pompeii, before the Winter Games begin on February 6, 2026.
The Paralympic Winter Games will take place from March 6 to 15.
The Milan-Cortina Games, which are spread across a vast area of Northern Italy, are preparing for snow conditions by planning to produce 2.4 million cubic metres of artificial snow, requiring 948,000 cubic metres of water.
This is a measure taken as snow cover in the Italian Alps has declined by half over the past century.
