Cauldron lighting ceremony of 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games held in Rome

The cauldron lighting ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games was held at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, capital of Italy on Friday morning, heralding the start of the Winter Games torch relay set to begin on Saturday.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella lit the Olympic cauldron at the palace. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry.

"The Olympic flame is arriving to a nation that lives and breathes sport, beautiful Italy, where passion shines through and everything that you do," said Coventry at the ceremony.

"We have planned a very scientific relay route that will pass through all of Italy's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Italy is the country with the most world heritage sites. I think this is wonderful, not only for Italians but for the people all over the world," said Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee.

The launch ceremony for the torch relay will be held on Saturday morning at Rome's Stadio dei Marmi, kicking off the start of the Olympic torch's journey across Italy. The relay will pass by multiple Roman landmarks such as the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, completing the 30-kilometer Rome segment on Saturday evening.

The whole relay will traverse 12,000 kilometers over 60 days across Italy, pass through more than 300 municipalities and feature celebrations in 60 cities, reach all 110 Italian provinces, and light up UNESCO sites along the route.

More than 10,000 torchbearers from all walks of life will take part in the relay, including figures from sectors of sports, culture, film and civil society.

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026 in eight locations across northern Italy.

Cauldron lighting ceremony of 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games held in Rome

Cauldron lighting ceremony of 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games held in Rome

Cauldron lighting ceremony of 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games held in Rome

Cauldron lighting ceremony of 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games held in Rome

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday stressed making solid progress in government work in 2026 and striving to make new contributions to advancing Chinese modernization.

Chairing the 11th plenary meeting of the State Council, Li said that the State Council and government departments must maintain strategic resolve, act more proactively, and take decisive, rapid and effective actions to fully implement the decisions and plans of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with higher standards.

To achieve higher standards, it is necessary to firmly seize the initiative in development, consistently strengthen the foundation for development and enhance economic resilience, and make persistent efforts to deliver solid results and breakthroughs, according to Li.

He underlined the full implementation of key tasks this year and during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), including further building a unified national market, promoting the expansion and upgrading of the service sector, and accelerating the development of a new generation of smart manufacturing.

Efforts should be made to advance major infrastructure networks, further invest in people and improve their well-being, and effectively respond to external shocks and challenges under the new circumstances, he said.

The premier also emphasized the need to conduct thorough education on fostering and practicing a correct understanding of governance performance and to integrate this education with the execution of government duties.

Chinese premier urges solid progress in government work in 2026

Chinese premier urges solid progress in government work in 2026