VIDEO SHOWS: OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY BEGINNING AT ROME'S STADIO DEI MARMI / COMMENTS BY MILANO CORTINA GAMES ORGANISING CHIEF, GIOVANNI MALAGO RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: ROME, ITALY (DECEMBER 6, 2025) (REUTERS/IOC – See restrictions) 1. COUNTDOWN IN PROGRESS 2. VARIOUS OF 1960 OLYMPICS TORCHBEARER ENTERING WITH FLAME 3. CEREMONY IN PROGRESS 4. TORCH BEING LIT / MILANO CORTINA GAMES ORGANISING CHIEF, GIOVANNI MALAGO, LIGHTING CAULDRON 5. CEREMONY IN PROGRESS 6. FLAME BURNING 7. OLYMPIC SWIMMING CHAMPION AND TORCHBEARER, GREGORIO PALTRINIERI, ENTERING, LIGHTING TORCH 8. PALTRINIERI WALKING DOWN STAGE, RUNNING WITH TORCH 9. OLYMPIC FENCING CHAMPION AND TORCHBEARER, ELISA DI FRANCISCA, WALKING WITH TORCH 10. DI FRANCISCA ONPASSING FLAME TO OLYMPIC HIGH JUMP CHAMPION, GIANMARCO TAMBERI / TAMBERI WALKING WITH TORCH, WAVING 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MILANO CORTINA GAMES ORGANISING CHIEF, GIOVANNI MALAGO, SAYING: "In the next 60 days, the flame will be protagonist all around our country, all the cities, all provinces, all the regions, all the UNESCO sites, and you know better than me that Italy is the country in the world with more UNESCO sites. It's a magnificent, it's a unique, it's a marvellous spot for our country." 12. FLAME BURNING 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MILANO CORTINA GAMES ORGANISING CHIEF, GIOVANNI MALAGO, SAYING: "For us, the flame is to be protagonist in the world, especially in this historic moment for a so delicate item, the peace, the respect of Chart Olimpica (Olympic Charter). We try to do at the best our role in this moment." 14. TAMBERI ONPASSING FLAME TO BASKETBALL PLAYER AND TORCHBEARER, ACHILLE POLONARA 15. POLONARA LEAVING STADIO DEI MARMI WITH TORCH STORY: The Olympic flame started its journey through Italy from Rome on Saturday (December 6), launching a two-month relay designed to stir excitement across the country ahead of the 2026 Winter Games. After being lit last month in ancient Olympia, the Greek home of the ancient Games, and handed over to Italian Games organisers earlier this week, the torch set off from Rome's fascist-era Stadio dei Marmi. "For us, the flame is to be protagonists in the world, especially in this historic moment for such a delicate item: peace, the respect of the Olympic Charter," said local organisers Milano Cortina Foundation president, Giovanni Malago. About 10,001 torchbearers will carry the flame on its 12,000-km (7,450-mile) Italian journey, wearing white uniforms with a red and yellow pattern recalling the Olympic flame. Italy's Olympic medal-winning swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri was the first, followed by foil fencing champion Elisa Di Francisca and gold medallist in the high jump Gianmarco Tamberi. Accompanying the torch out of the Stadio dei Marmi was basketball player Achille Polonara, who is battling leukemia. The torch will travel through all 110 Italian provinces and more than 300 municipalities, stopping in 60 cities for end-of-day celebrations before reaching Milan in time for the opening ceremony on February 6. The flame will pass landmarks such as the Colosseum, the Vatican, Venice's Grand Canal and Siena's Piazza del Campo and spend Christmas in Naples. It will be in Cortina d'Ampezzo on January 26, exactly 70 years after the opening ceremony of the 1956 Games at the same venue, before concluding at Milan's San Siro stadium. Unveiled in April, the Milano Cortina torch features an aerodynamic silhouette inspired by the curves of the Dolomites and the dynamic lines of ski tracks. Crafted from recycled aluminium and steel, it reflects the Games' sustainability goals. Italy, a winter sports powerhouse, last hosted the Winter Games in 2006 in Turin. The 2026 Olympics will be co-hosted by Milan and the Dolomite resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo and run from February 6-22, with the Paralympics to follow in March. (Production: Gabriele Pileri, Matteo Negri)
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