The Torches of Milano Cortina 2026 Take Heart Stage on the Closing Ceremony of Expo 2025 Osaka

The Olympic and Paralympic Torches of Milano Cortina 2026 are returning residence. On Monday, October 13, through the closing day of Expo 2025 Osaka, the Italy Pavilion hosted the Closing Ceremony of the worldwide occasion, throughout which the Essential Torches had been symbolically handed again into the arms of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026.

Representing the Fondazione was CEO Andrea Varnier, accompanied by Martina Caironi, Paralympic champion and 100m T63 gold medalist in Paris 2024, and Carolina Kostner, determine skating icon and Olympic bronze medalist in Sochi 2014. The ceremony befell at Piazza Italia, in entrance of the Pavilion, within the presence of authorities, media, a big viewers, and worldwide athletes resembling Japanese determine skater Satoko Miyahara.

The occasion on the Expo 2025 Osaka

The Closing Ceremony was opened with speeches by the Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025, Mario Vattani, and the Consul General in Osaka, Filippo Manara. Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, then spoke, thanking the Italy Pavilion for showcasing the excellences, creativity, and fervour of our nation, emphasizing that “there could be no better place than Expo to start the journey of the torches.”

“It is incredibly moving to bring the torches back to Italy,” added Carolina Kostner, recalling how the Olympic Flame symbolises the union of peoples and their cultures, in addition to the desires and connection made doable by means of sport.

These sporting values had been additionally echoed by Martina Caironi, who evoked a common message of peace and expressed the hope that the Paralympic Flame would convey a message of inclusion: “Paralympic athletes show the world that disability is just one characteristic of a person, something that can be overcome and transformed into a remarkable strength in the eyes of all.”

To rejoice the occasion, an ice skating rink open to the general public was arrange in entrance of the Italy Pavilion: a tangible signal of cultural and sporting connection between Italy and Japan, in addition to a preview of the spirit that can animate Milano Cortina 2026 ranging from subsequent February 6.

The Essential Torches

The Olympic and Paralympic Torches, referred to as Essential, are symbols of unity, inclusion, and the dualism typical of Milano Cortina 2026. For their creation, Eni (Premium Partner of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games) and Versalis (Official Supporter of the Games) selected Studio Carlo Ratti Associati for the design improvement and Cavagna Group for the engineering and manufacturing.

The Essential Torches had been unveiled final April 14, concurrently on the Triennale in Milano and in the identical Italy Pavilion in Osaka, at all times accompanied by the athletes and Milano Cortina 2026 Ambassadors Martina Caironi and Carolina Kostner. Now they are going to return residence after representing Italy in one of the important contexts globally.

Their return marks the prelude to a brand new section in view of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. On November 26, the Olympic Torch will set off from Greece after which arrive in Italy for its journey throughout the nation, masking 12,000 km in 63 days. It will probably be an unbelievable journey by means of Italian territories, concluding on February 6 at San Siro for the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. The Paralympic Torch, alternatively, will start its route on February 23, then reaching Verona on March 6 for the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games.