06 December 2025 – When the flame for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games lit the Piazza del Quirinale, the square in front of the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic, on Friday in Rome, IOC President Kirsty Coventry praised “Italy’s warmth and energy”, which could be felt at that moment.
- IOC President praised “Italy’s warmth and energy” when the Olympic flame for Milano Cortina 2026 lit the Piazza del Quirinale in Rome.
- The President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, called for the Olympic Truce to be respected, and for hope: “Sport carries this precious value.”
- CONI honoured IOC President Coventry with the Giulio Onesti award for Olympic firsts.
“The Olympic flame is arriving in a nation that lives and breathes sport: bella Italia, where passion shines through in everything you do,” she said during the ceremony, 63 days before the opening of the Winter Olympics (6 to 22 February 2026 / Ticket details can be found here).
As the torch relay begins its journey across this beautiful country, it will connect millions of Italians – from the Alps to Sicily, from the biggest cities to the smallest villages. Each torchbearer will carry a piece of Italy’s spirit: your creativity, your courage, your heritage, your joy of life.
Kirsty Coventry, IOC President
The IOC President told the audience, among them the five highest representatives of the Italian Republic, led by President Sergio Mattarella and including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, that she is determined to make the Games an outstanding success: “For the athletes, for Italy and for the entire Olympic Movement. Together with our Italian partners, we are building Games that show how innovation and tradition can go hand in hand. Everything has been designed to reflect the beauty of Italy and the values of the Olympic spirit.”
Before he lit a cauldron dedicated to the torch relay, President Mattarella called in his speech for the Olympic Truce to be respected. The resolution on this was adopted by the United Nations (UN) Member States in the UN General Assembly in November. “Peace has been part of the Olympic DNA since the beginning of times,” Mattarella said. “Italy has requested that the Olympic Truce be renewed. We hope this becomes truly possible. Indeed, we hope for even more: that the two months separating us from the start of the Games bring détente and dialogue, halt aggression and atrocities, and put an end to the ambitions for power that sow fear, death and devastation.”
In closing his speech, the Italian President reminded the world what sport stands for: “In times of change – such as the moment we are currently experiencing – there is a need for hope. Hope for the future. Sport carries this precious value. It holds it and passes it on. (…) Let us now light the torch. And let us take these signs of hope and peace to our streets and cities.”
The ceremony, which was also attended by Milano Cortina 2026 President and IOC Member Giovanni Malagò and Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano (CONI) President Luciano Buonfiglio, ended with a spectacular flypast by the Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team.
The torch relay begins today in Rome, passing through some of some of the city’s most iconic landmarks such as St Peter’s Square, the Pantheon and the Colosseum. The relay, with a total of 10,001 torchbearers will travel 12,000 kilometres, covering all 20 regions and 110 provinces, passing 60 World Heritage Sites along the way, culminating in Milan for the Opening Ceremony of the Games on 6 February 2026.
The Olympic flame had arrived in Rome on Thursday, after it was formally handed over to the host nation in a ceremony in Athens. It spent the night in the Quirinale Palace.
While in Rome, the IOC President also visited CONI’s “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Training Centre, where she met a number of Italian athletes.
The President of the Onesti Foundation and IOC Honorary Member, Franco Carraro, together with CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio, presented Kirsty Coventry with the “Giulio Onesti” award for the many Olympic firsts she has achieved in her career. Coventry is the first woman to lead the IOC. The award is named after Giulio Onesti, a former IOC Member (1964 until 1981) who led CONI from 1944 to 1978.
The IOC President also met with MEMOS graduates and students. The Executive Masters in Managing Sports Organisations (MEMOS) is a part-time executive master’s programme for managers of sports organisations worldwide. It was launched 30 years ago, and is aimed at strengthening sports governance by helping leaders build their management and leadership skills. Olympic Solidarity offers scholarships to participants nominated by their National Olympic Committees.
When meeting the participants, Coventry presented Olympic Solidarity’s Impact Award to Manuel Parga of the Spanish Olympic Committee, for his work to design and implement a strategic sustainability plan for his NOC. The award recognises MEMOS projects that deliver clear, real-life outcomes.
