The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Unveiled

MILAN — The anticipation around the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is exponentially growing in Italy. 

Further igniting the sentiment was the reveal on Monday of the torch designed for the occasion, unveiled via two simultaneous events at the Triennale Milano museum here and at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

Those imagining a flamboyant showcase of Italian creativity from the item were left reconsidering their expectations, as it came with a minimalist design and was aptly christened “Essential.”

Its sleek, elongated shape was designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, the architectural studio of famed Italian architect and urban planner Carlo Ratti, who is also the curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture running May 10 to Nov. 23.

Ratti designed the torch with the ultimate goal of putting the focus on the flame rather than its structure. Yet he blended innovation and sustainability in its simple shape, sparked by the concept that a real eco-minded approach comes with the minimum usage of materials.

“We understood from the very start that what’s important isn’t the torch, but the flame. So we started to think how we could avoid designing the torch in a way, and emphasize the power and beauty of the flame instead,” said Ratti.

Fully made in Italy, the lightweight design weighs approximately 1,060 grams excluding the fuel cannister and is mainly made of recycled materials, specifically an aluminium and brass alloy. It has been designed with a system that allows it to be reused and refilled up to 10 times, significantly reducing the total production of the torches that will be required by the event.

The same green attitude and attention to details went to the energy source that will fuel the flame. The burner will run on bio-LPG, made exclusively from renewable raw materials, mainly waste sources such as used cooking oil, animal fats and residues from the agricultural industry.

Adding to these features, design-wise the torch also has a narrow opening at the top which allows the public to witness how the flame is generated.

“When it comes to the Olympic torch, the core is something that’s very sophisticated but the design exercise is usually about covering it, similar to car design where you build something around the engine,” said Ratti. “What we wanted to do is to minimize what we put around the core, and not to do something redundant for the sake of form.”

Yet the exterior finish charms with a reflective effect as it’s been crafted using physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology. The sleek surface is rendered in two versions for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a blue-green hue picked for the former and bronze tones for the latter.

Both versions of the torch were developed by Eni, premium partner of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in collaboration with Versalis, official supporter of the Games. Cavagna Group was behind the engineering and production of the design and its components.

On Monday, the design was presented by four Italian athletes: Olympic champion and the last torchbearer at the Olympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006 Stefania Belmondo and Paralympic champion Bebe Vio in Milan; Paralympic champion Martina Caironi and bronze medalist at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 Carolina Kostner in Osaka.

The two versions will be showcased at the Italia Pavilion throughout Expo 2025 in Osaka and at the Triennale di Milano from next month until the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which will run Feb. 6 to 22 and March 6 to 15 next year, respectively. After the Games, the design will join the collection of previous torches at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, in Switzerland.

The Milano Cortina 2026 event marks the third time Italy will host the Winter Games after the 2006 edition in Turin and the 1956 edition in the Cortina d’Ampezzo ski resort. 

The hype around the event is already building up and promises to enhance Milan’s international appeal and Cortina’s status as a luxury ski resort destination. Foreseeably, brands are gradually adding to the list of partners of the Games in a quest to secure a considerable return in terms of image, as well. For example, partners will include the likes of Emporio Armani’s EA7 line, Salomon, Omega, P&G, Alibaba, Coca Cola and Samsung, to name a few. Kiko Milano, Technogym and Salesforce also figure as sponsors of the event.