History of Olympic torches as the Winter Games begin in Milan Cortina
Feb 06, 2026
The start of the Winter Olympics is marked by the lighting of the cauldron. The Olympic torch began its journey to Milan and Cortina for the 2026 Winter Games on December 3.About 10,000 Torch Bearers carried it to 60 different c
ities along the way.This year is the first time two cauldrons were lit, one in Milan and the other in Cortina. The people who get to light the cauldrons are kept top secret.In Milan, alpine skiing legends Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the cauldron. In Cortina, it was Italian ski racer Sofia Goggia.There is a collection of torches dating back to 1936 at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum, which is located in Downtown Colorado Springs. In December of 2024, the museum added medals and a torch from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.One of the torches from Milan will be in Colorado Springs within the next several months._______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
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