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History of Olympic torches as the Winter Games begin in Milan Cortina

The start of the Winter Olympics is marked by the lighting of the Olympic cauldron by the torch that traveled from where it was lit in Olympia, Greece and then through Italy leading up to the games.

History of Olympic torches and as the Winter Games begin in Milan Cortina

By: James Gavato

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The start of the Winter Olympics is marked by the lighting of the cauldron. The Olympic torch began its journey to Milan and Cortina for the 2026 Winter Games on December 3.

About 10,000 Torch Bearers carried it to 60 different cities along the way.

This year is the first time two cauldrons were lit, one in Milan and the other in Cortina. The people who get to light the cauldrons are kept top secret.

In Milan, alpine skiing legends Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni lit the cauldron. In Cortina, it was Italian ski racer Sofia Goggia.

There is a collection of torches dating back to 1936 at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum, which is located in Downtown Colorado Springs.

In December of 2024, the museum added medals and a torch from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

One of the torches from Milan will be in Colorado Springs within the next several months.

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Air Force Academy Superintendent, Commandant of Cadets to depart later this year

The Air Force Academy Superintendent will be departing later this year.

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