Paralympic Torch Relay

The opportunity to apply to be one of the torchbearers of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 closed on 30 June 2025. The selection of the 10,001 torchbearers for the Olympic Torch Relay and the 501 for the Paralympic Torch Relay is still ongoing. Those who are selected will begin receiving a confirmation email from Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 starting from August 2025. These communications will be sent to selected torchbearers until the end of the event on 6 February 2026 and on 6 March 2026 for the Paralympic Torch Relay.

In the autumn, we will publish on the Games website the full list of municipalities along the relay route, including the estimated times for the Olympic flame and the Paralympic flame to pass. A few days before the start of the two events, we will also publish the detailed routes within each municipality so that everyone can come out to watch the torchbearers and personally take part in the world’s greatest sporting event. In addition, every evening, for each of the 60 days of the event, at the end of each relay day, we will organize a City Celebration in collaboration with our partners, open to the public, to celebrate this unique occasion and unforgettable experience. The final torchbearer of the day will publicly light the cauldron on stage at around 7:30 p.m. The calendar of celebration cities is already published on our website—check the one nearest to you and come join us! We look forward to seeing you!

Torchbearers will be the Ambassadors of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026. Through their stories, they will embody the spirit of the Games, and Italian culture and society. Torchbearers, symbols of passion, talent, energy, and respect, carry with them the promise of a brighter future and of change towards a more inclusive society. They will be ordinary people with extraordinary stories, representing local communities, talent, and excellence in every field—sporting, social, artistic, and creative—as well as the values of peace and brotherhood that are symbolized by the Olympic flame and the Paralympic flame.

Excluded from participation are those who: (i) hold political office; (ii) are in an electoral campaign; (iii) hold religious office; (iv) have been convicted for doping; (v) have criminal convictions or are involved in ongoing criminal proceedings; (vi) have had their Olympic or Paralympic accreditation revoked; or (vii) have not presented the documentation signed by a parent/guardian on the relay day, in the case of a minor. Selected candidates will therefore be subject to a background check by the National Public Security Authority.
There are no exclusions based on nationality, gender, religion, or social background. However, participants must be born before 5 December 2011 and must be 14 years old by 5 December 2025, in order to prevent any form of discrimination that goes against our values.

If you were born before 5 December 2011 and are selected, you will receive an email containing specific documents that must be signed by a parent and/or legal guardian and presented to Milano Cortina 2026 Torchbearer Team on your relay day, following the instructions included in the email.

Being a torchbearer is a unique experience. Therefore, each candidate may be a torchbearer only once during the Olympic or Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026—and only for the segment assigned by the event organizers.

This information will be communicated to you progressively once you have received your confirmation email for the Olympic Torch Relay or the Paralympic Torch Relay, which will be sent by the end of the summer.

No. Segment assignments along the relay route are entirely managed by Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. Various factors are considered when determining the location, such as distance from the participant’s residence and logistical needs of the event.

After your selection as a torchbearer is confirmed, you will be provided with a contact to either confirm or cancel your participation

No. No specific physical condition or medical certificate is required, since the distance to be covered is about 200/300 meters, a distance accessible to everyone, as is the torch weight, which is about 1.5 kg. Furthermore, the Olympic Torch Relay and Paralympic Torch Relay also include people with disabilities: any specific needs should have been indicated during the application process.

On the day of the relay, the total time commitment required from the torchbearer is about 4 hours. This time includes: check-in at the Collection Point, delivery of the uniform, briefing, transfer by shuttle—provided by the organization—to the starting point of your relay segment, the relay itself with the torch and the Olympic flame or the Paralympic flame and return to the Collection Point via shuttle.

You will be given an appointment at a place defined as the Collection Point for torchbearers, where all participation formalities and conditions will be carried out. Once the initial preparation and briefing phase is completed at the Collection Point, the torchbearers will be accompanied on a shuttle that joins the main convoy and will drop them off one by one at the location assigned to each torchbearer as the starting point of their relay segment. At the end of their relay segment, each torchbearer will be picked up by a second shuttle which, once all are on board, will return the torchbearers to the Collection Point, concluding the experience.

You will receive an email 30 days before your assigned relay segment with precise information on the time and location of your appointment at the Collection Point.

Arrival at the Collection Point is completely autonomous.

Your family and friends may follow you along the route and attend the City Celebrations, but they cannot access the torchbearers’ Collection Point. They may accompany you only to the entrance.

They are two different locations. The torchbearers’ Collection Point is the place where you will receive your uniform and a briefing, and where you will meet the Torch Relay staff who will take you by shuttle to the starting point of your relay segment. The starting point of your segment is a separate place along the relay route and may be several kilometers away from the Collection Point. All torchbearers will be taken back to the original Collection Point by shuttle after completing their segment.

The possibility to indicate this kind of need was included in both the application form and the personal data confirmation form, so that we can best manage the request.

If you are under 18 years of age, you must (i) have filled out the required documentation, sent by Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 via email to the person listed as your parent or legal guardian, and (ii) be accompanied with that documentation to the Collection Point by the same parent or guardian. Your companion may accompany you to the entrance of the Collection Point, where you will be warmly welcomed by Milano Cortina 2026 Torchbearer Team. However, for organizational reasons, they will not be allowed enter the Collection Point or to accompany you during your experience as a torchbearer. They may, however, wait for you along your relay segment to cheer you on and share in the excitement of this special moment.

If you have requested the presence of a companion due to a disability, don’t worry: in this case, the companion or chaperone may stay with you and follow you wherever necessary.

Torchbearers must arrive at the designated Collection Point at the specified time in order to be taken by an official shuttle to the starting point of their assigned relay segment. The starting point of your segment will have been communicated to you a few days before your participation as a torchbearer. This way, you can inform your family and friends so they can wait for you at the exact location where the shuttle will drop you off along the relay route. If possible, we ask that you reach the Collection Point on foot or by public transportation for sustainability reasons and to help reduce traffic. At the end of your torchbearer experience, another shuttle will take you back to the Collection Point. In some cases, transportation may instead be by other means or on foot.

No, all personal belongings must be carried with you throughout the entire relay. We therefore ask you to bring only the essentials and to keep items such as keys, phone, and wallet in your pockets. You may not leave any items at the Collection Point, nor may you run your segment with bags, backpacks, or fanny packs. Torchbearers will be asked to put away their phones while carrying the Olympic flame or the Paralympic flame, to fully enjoy this unique experience. Photos and videos will be taken by our staff and made available to each torchbearer afterwards.

In case of a disability, it is permitted to bring the necessary aids (e.g., wheelchair, guide dog, etc.). The presence of such equipment must have been indicated during the personal data confirmation phase and agreed upon with the organization.

Don’t worry, the Olympic flame and the Paralympic flame are kept in special safety lanterns and constantly monitored by staff members. If such an incident should occur, a member of the organization will be ready to quickly light again the flame.

No, for safety reasons, your family members cannot run with you. However, they may wait for you and cheer you on along the route.

No, torchbearers are not allowed to use their smartphones during their relay segment. But don’t worry – official photographers will be on-site to take photos of each torchbearer during this special moment, and these images will be shared with you at the end of your experience.

Once you finish your relay segment, your experience is not over yet; in fact, you will need to pass the Olympic flame or the Paralympic flame with a “kiss” on the torch of the next torchbearer. At that point, the staff will take care of you and deactivate your torch, and you will be accompanied to the shuttle that will return you to the Torchbearers’ Collection Point where you started.

If you are selected as a torchbearer, you will be able to confirm and/or update your personal information.

Within the form to confirm your personal data, you will also be asked to confirm your uniform size. Please note that the uniform will be unisex and must be worn over your own clothing. You will find instructions in the same form to help you choose the correct size.

Only bring the essentials: your official convocation letter and a valid ID document. If you are a minor, remember to also bring the required documents signed by a parent or legal guardian.

The uniform you will be given at the Torchbearers’ Collection Point includes: a windbreaker-style jacket, a pair of over-trousers, a pair of gloves, and a beanie.
The uniform must be worn over your own clothing and must fully cover everything so that no commercial brands or logos on garments or accessories such as watches, jewelry, etc. are visible.
It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes or sneakers in a neutral color.

No, the uniform is yours to keep as a souvenir of the experience and of your participation as a torchbearer for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games of Milano Cortina 2026.

Torchbearers will not be allowed to keep the torch. Milano Cortina has chosen to produce only the number of torches strictly necessary to cover operational needs; in fact, each torch will be reused multiple times until the end of the event.
The staff will collect your torch at the end of your segment, before you board the return shuttle.