The Torch Relay for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games kicked off its journey from the Acropolis, with a prominent international participant among the early Olympic flame torchbearers: Kimberly Guilfoyle, the United States Ambassador to Greece.
The relay followed the official lighting of the ceremonial altar atop the Acropolis last night by Greek rowing world champion Stefanos Ntouskos, a gold medalist.
Guilfoyle carries Olympic flame on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street
Shortly after 8:30 AM, Guilfoyle took her turn carrying the sacred flame. Dressed in the official relay uniform, including a cap and gloves, she received the torch in a formal handover in front of the Acropolis Museum on the historic Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street.
The flame was passed to her by Stefanos Chandakas, the Secretary General of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
After completing her designated distance, Ambassador Guilfoyle passed the flame to the next runner, Josh Hack, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Athens, marking a continuous chain of participation by US officials.
Hack then delivered the flame to Christos Marafatsos, Co-Chair of the “Greeks for Trump” movement.
Significance of the relay
This segment of the relay holds deep symbolic significance, marrying ancient tradition with the modern spirit of the Games. Originating in Olympia, the flame represents purity, peace, and the connection between the Ancient Greek world and the contemporary international sporting event.
By beginning its journey from the historic Acropolis toward the Panathenaic Stadium (the site of the first modern Olympics), the ceremony underscores Greece’s enduring role as the birthplace of the Olympic movement before the flame begins its voyage to Italy.
Related: Olympic Flame Begins Journey from Greece’s Olympia to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics
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