Olympic Torches Unveiled: A Minimalistic Marvel

The Milan-Cortina Olympics revealed a new minimalistic metallic design for torches, emphasizing sustainability with recycled materials and refillable fuel canisters. Designed by Carlo Ratti, these torches focus on highlighting the flame. The 2026 Games will occur in February, followed by the Paralympics in March.

On Monday, organizers of the Milan-Cortina Olympics unveiled a new sleek and minimalistic design for the torches to be used in next year's traditional relay. Crafted primarily from recycled materials, the torches are designed with sustainability in mind, allowing fuel canisters to be refilled up to ten times, effectively reducing the number needed for the relay.

The torches, formed from an aluminum and brass alloy, feature a distinctive color scheme: a blue-green hue for the Olympic version and a bronze shade for the Paralympic counterpart. This design choice aims to highlight the flame, making it the focal point of the relay while keeping the torch itself understated in the background, according to the organizers.

Renowned Italian architect Carlo Ratti created the torches, which were showcased simultaneously at Expo 2025 in Osaka and in Milan. The Olympic flame is set to arrive in Rome on December 4, starting its journey across Italy two days afterward in preparation for the 2026 Winter Games from February 6-22, followed by the Paralympics from March 6-15.

(With inputs from agencies.)