In a historic first, the lighting ceremony took place inside the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Olympia, after weather forecasts forced organizers to move the event from the Ancient Stadium.

A Ceremony Marked by Emotion and a Call for Peace

Deeply moved as she stepped to the podium, IOC President Kirsty Coventry emphasized the message of peace the Games must carry in an era of global turbulence:

“In the divided world we live in today, the Olympic Games hold a truly symbolic place. It is our duty and responsibility to ensure that athletes from all over the world can gather in peace. Friendship and respect must prevail in sport.”

The Passage of the Flame

The ceremony concluded with High Priestess Mary Mina handing the Flame to bronze-medalist rower Petros Gaidatzis, the first Torchbearer.
He then passed the torch to the first Italian bearer, Stefania Belmondo—a two-time Olympic champion in cross-country skiing (1992, 2002).
Following her was Armin Zöggeler, the legendary Italian luger and double Olympic champion (2006, 2010).

The Journey Ahead

The Flame will travel through Greece for nine days before the official handover on December 4 at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.
On December 6, the torch relay will begin in Rome, carried by 10,001 torchbearers. Over 63 days, the Flame will cross Italy from north to south and east to west, covering 12,000 kilometers and stopping at iconic sites including Siena, Pompeii, and Venice.

Dignitaries in Attendance

The ceremony was attended by:

• The President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas
• IOC President Kirsty Coventry
• IOC Honorary President Thomas Bach
• President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Isidoros Kouvelos
• President of the Milano Cortina Organizing Committee Giovanni Malagò
• IOC member for Greece Spyros Capralos
• Deputy Sports Minister Giannis Vroutsis
• Mayor of Ancient Olympia Aristidis Panayiotopoulos
  …along with numerous other officials.