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 President Xi Jinping awarded Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on Monday.

As solemn music played and the golden doors slowly opened, Xi and Vucic entered the hall together, followed by Xi's wife Peng Liyuan and Vucic's wife Tamara Vucic.

Applauding guests rose to their feet, and paid respect to the two heads of state.

A Guard of Honor escorted the Friendship Medal into the hall, and amid solemn music, Xi formally presented the medal to Vucic.

Xi highlighted Vucic's long-standing commitment to advancing China-Serbia friendship and underscored the significance of the honor.

"President Vucic has long stayed committed to China-Serbia friendship, and he has always given China the firmest and clearest support on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns. He gains the respect from the Chinese people. This medal is not only a high recognition of President Vucic's contributions to bilateral friendship, but also carries the earnest expectations of both peoples for building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era," Xi said.

The Friendship Medal is China's highest state honor for foreigners, reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive, promoting exchange and cooperation between China and the world, and safeguarding world peace.

At the invitation of Xi, Vucic is on a state visit to China from Sunday to Thursday, with this marking his first state visit to China and his ninth trip to the country overall.

Xi awards Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic China's friendship medal