Italian figure skater Carolina Kostner on Wednesday, 12 February announced the opening of the application process at the Sanremo Festival, where Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, has been a regular feature over the years. The process will give people the chance to participate in one of the historic relays that will carry the Olympic and Paralympic flames on journeys across Italy.
Anyone born before 5 December 2011 will be able to apply. Each candidate will have the opportunity to share their story and explain their desire to be part of this extraordinary experience. Torchbearers are expected to represent the values of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements.
Andrea Varnier, CEO of Milano Cortina 2026, said: “The torchbearers, with their stories and experiences, represent the countless facets of our society and the richness of our country. Their role goes beyond simply carrying the torches; they will become ambassadors of the values embodied by the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, reinforcing the idea that sport can inspire the world. Thanks to them, this journey will become a wonderful moment of inclusivity, openness, and sharing.”
Kostner, Italy's most decorated figure skater of all time and ambassador of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, officially opened the applications during the Sanremo show. She will experience the emotion of carrying the Olympic flame firsthand, joining other torchbearers in a unique opportunity to live an unforgettable experience. Before millions of viewers, Carolina presented the details for joining the campaign.
The goal is to involve 10,001 torchbearers for the Olympic Torch Relay and 501 torchbearers for the Paralympic Torch Relay, with the last one on each relay having the privilege to light the Olympic and Paralympic cauldrons during the Opening Ceremonies. Each torchbearer will have their own story to tell, filled with passion, sacrifice, courage, and inclusivity, lighting the way to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Aspiring torchbearers can submit their candidacies through a dedicated page on the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 website. Each participant will have the opportunity to share their story and explain why they wish to be part of this extraordinary experience.
Key facts and figures about the Olympic Torch Relay
- 10,001 torchbearers will carry the flame on a 63-day, 12,000-kilometre journey
- All Italian regions and all 110 provinces of the peninsula will be visited
- The journey will begin with the lighting of the sacred flame in Olympia on 26 November 2025
- The flame will arrive in Rome on 4 December and begin its journey across Italy two days later
- The flame will return to Cortina d'Ampezzo on 26 January and finish its journey in Milan, entering the San Siro Stadium on 6 February
- The presenting partners of the journey of the Olympic flame are Coca-Cola and Eni
- Worldwide Olympic Partner Coca-Cola has been a proud supporter of the Olympic Torch Relay for more than three decades. As a presenting partner for the Olympic Torch Relay for Milano Cortina 2026, Coca-Cola will continue to help promote the Olympic values
Key facts and figures about the Paralympic Torch Relay
- 501 torchbearers will carry the Paralympic flame across Italy following its lighting in Stoke Mandeville, UK, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement
- The Paralympic flame will travel 2,000 kilometres in 11 days, from 24 February to 6 March
- From 24 February to 2 March, the flame will animate five Flame Festivals in Milan, Turin, Bolzano, Trento and Trieste, before a ceremony to unite the flames in Cortina d'Ampezzo on 3 March
- Starting 4 March, the flame will visit Venice and Padua, culminating in its entrance to the Arena di Verona on 6 March for the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games
- Worldwide Olympic Partner Allianz is the Presenting Partner for the Paralympic Torch Relay
