As the torch relay departed from the storied Olympia in Greece on Wednesday, New International Olympic Committee Chairman Kirsty Coventry cried out in support of the 2026 Winter Games.
A tearful Coventry, who was the first woman to lead the Olympic movement and spoke to guests at the torch ceremony at the Olympia archaeological museum, emphasized the unity of sport.
She said, “These Games come at a crucial time in our history,” her voice sputtering.
She continued to applause, saying, “I wasn’t supposed to get emotional.”
The Games have a truly symbolic place in the divided world we live in today. She said that it is our duty and responsibility to ensure that athletes from all over the world can congregate peacefully.
The relay, which was first led by Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis and later joined by cross-country ski champion Stefania Belmondo from Italy, set off the epaulina winter games, which will begin on February 6.
The pair transferred the torch to Italian luge great Armin Zoeggeler as they flew from the museum to Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient Games, where Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s headquarters are preserved.
The Temple of Zeus, the goddess of the ancient Olympics, had sculptures atop the flame ceremony.
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The Olympic flame-lighting ceremony is typically held close to the Olympic Stadium, which was built in 776 BC, among the remains of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera.
However, a misinterpreted forecast for the rainy weather caused questions to be raised about the parabolic mirror used by actresses dressed as ancient priestesses as a source of heat.
During an outdoor rehearsal in the sun on Wednesday, the ceremony took place inside, where a flame was lit on Monday.
The flame will travel to Rome for a 63-day, 12, 000-kilometer (7, 500-mile) course through Italy’s major cities and the archaeological site of Pompeii following a handover ceremony on December 4 at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, where the first modern Olympics were revived in 1896.
The Games will take place at various locations throughout the north-east of Italy, stretching from Milan to the Dolomites Mountains.
Milan will host ice sports, and Bormio and Cortina will host alpine skiing.
The Dolomites will host the biathlon, followed by skiing in the Val di Fiemme and skiing in the Italian Alps in Livigno.
From March 6 through March 15 will the Paralympic Winter Games take place.
Source: Channels TV
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