JO-2026: The Olympic Flame Will Be Lit Sheltered from the Rain

JO-2026: The Olympic flame will be lit despite the forecast of heavy rain at the ancient sanctuary of Olympia in Greece on Wednesday. The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) has moved the ceremony indoors at the Olympic Museum due to inclement weather, instead of holding it outside in front of the 2,600-year-old ruins of the Hera Temple, as is traditional. This change was deemed necessary to ensure everyone's safety and maintain the ceremony's dignity. The flame, lit during a rehearsal in sunny conditions, will be used on Wednesday.

The Olympic flame lighting ceremony is an ancient tradition where the flame is ignited using a concave mirror to focus sunlight. This year's ceremony will see Greek actress Mary Mina lighting the torch surrounded by "priestesses" in ancient Greek-inspired attire. The first torchbearer will be Petros Gaidatzis, a bronze medalist in rowing at the Paris Games, who expressed immense honor in being selected.

The relay will begin on December 6 in Rome, Italy, after a nine-day, 2,200 km relay in Greece, culminating in a handover ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The flame will travel across Italy for 63 days, covering 12,000 kilometers and passing through iconic locations such as Siena, Pompeii, and Venice, before arriving in Milan on February 6 for the opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium. This Olympic Games marks a return to the Alps, the original birthplace of the Winter Olympics, following a period where the Games were held in countries with no winter sports tradition.