Olympic torch winds through Greece ahead of 2026 Winter Games in Italy<br /><br />The Olympic torch relay took a winding path through parts of Greece on Nov. 27, 2025 as the Olympic flame is carried from Ancient Olympia to Milan ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. <br /><br />At dawn, the relay left the mountain town of Kalavryta, west of Athens, and headed north to the coastal town of Patras, the gateway to mainland Greece. <br /><br />A series of torchbearers carried the flame across the Rio–Antirrio Bridge, connecting the mainland to the Peloponnese. <br /><br />The flame then passed through the famed lakes and hills of Agrinio before concluding the day in the Alpine landscapes of Karpenisi. <br /><br />After a week-long Greek relay, the flame will be handed over in Athens to Italian Games organizers on Dec. 4 before it travels to Italy for the start of a months-long domestic relay. <br /><br />A total of 10,001 torchbearers will carry the flame through 60 Italian cities and 300 towns before reaching Cortina D’Ampezzo on Jan. 26 – exactly 70 years after the opening ceremony of the 1956 Games at the same venue. <br /><br />The journey will conclude in Milan, entering the San Siro stadium on the evening of Feb. 6 for the Games' opening ceremony.<br /><br />IOC / REUTERS
