Organizers unveil sleek metallic torches for Milan-Cortina Olympics and Paralympics
MILAN (AP) — Organizers for the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Monday unveiled a sleek and minimalistic metallic design for the torches that will be used in the traditional relay ahead of next year's Winter Games.
The torches will be made primarily out of recycled materials, with a design system that lets the fuel canister be refilled up to 10 times — reducing the number of torches that will be needed, organizers said. Made from an aluminum and brass alloy, the Olympic torch features a blue-green hue while the Paralympic version is bronze colored.
'The design of the torch is intended to enhance the flame itself, the true essence of the torch relay,' organizers said. 'The idea is to direct focus towards the flame, leaving the torch almost in the background. By concentrating on the simplicity of the design, the flame becomes the main protagonist.'
The Olympic flame will arrive in Rome on Dec. 4 and will begin its journey across Italy two days later.
The 2026 Games run Feb. 6-22 and the Paralympics run March 6-15.
The torches, which were designed by Italian architect Carlo Ratti, were displayed at joint presentations at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, and in Milan.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kaylee McKeown in sad post-race admission after being caught up in Aussie DQ drama
Swimming stars Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan have opened up about their struggles after the Paris Olympics, after the backstroke world record holder had a disqualification at the Australian selection trials overturned. McKeown was left absolutely devastated in the heats of the Aussie selection trials for the Swimming World Championships next month. A subtle head movement before her 50m backstroke race saw her disqualified from the race and leaving her chances of qualification hanging by a thread. Cate Campbell initially believed McKeown's chances of overturning her DQ would be slim. Footage showed the Olympic gold medallist flinching - which is illegal in backstroke - while waiting for the start of the race. "There was a little head movement. From the time the starter says 'take your marks' to the point the gun goes, you have to remain completely still," Campbell said on Channel Nine. McKeown was disqualified for an early start, but after a two-hour appeal, the ban was overturned. McKeown argued she was distracted by movement prior to the starter's signal and the officials agreed. McKeown - the world record holder - went on to win Monday night's final at the South Australian Aquatic Centre in 27.33 seconds. She managed to hold out young swimming superstar O'Callaghan in a tight race to secure her position at the world championships in Singapore. Although she was well shy of her world record of 26.86 global benchmark set in October 2023. And the five-time Olympic gold medallist showed real grit having used the earlier drama to propel her to victory. "Things happen and it just crumbled that way," she said. "I knew as soon as I started, what I had done. But thankfully we had the technology to look back at footage and saw the distraction and I got reinstated." World Record Holder Kaylee McKeown was called for a False Start in the 50 Back Prelims. (McKeown is in lane 4) — SwimSwam Live (@SwimSwamLive) June 9, 2025 And bravely, McKeown opened up on her mental health battles after being so successful in the pool at the Olympics. McKeown became the first Australian swimmer to win four individual medals at an Olympics after blitzing the competition in Paris. The 23-year-old has five Olympic gold medals and became one of the superstars of Australian sport. However, late last year McKeon withdrew from the World Cup series in China just one day into the competition having admitted she needed ti priorities her mental health. And after speaking to Channel Nine after earning qualification to Singapore in her best event, McKeown was honest about her state of mind. "Coming off the Olympics, I was in a really dark place mentally," McKeown said. "When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again." Speaking about the mental battles, McKeown said Aussie swimmers place a lot of pressure on themselves when competing for their country. "I don't think people really know ... how much pressure we put on ourselves," McKeown added in Adelaide. "You're just so fixated on wanting to swim for yourself, for your country and for your team. You have all that amount of pressure to just do it ... and it (winning or not) really just comes down to nail bites." And in a touching moment, O'Callaghan agreed with McKeown and opened up about her own struggles. "I'm the exact same as Kaylee," O'Callaghan said. "There's immense pressure to perform at the Olympic Games, it's the pinnacle of our sport." O'Callaghan shot to superstardom in the pool having beaten Ariarne Titmus in the 200m event. She finished with three individual gold medals, before she had even turned 20 years old. And the swimmer admitted all the time in the pool meant she had lost a lot of her social life. "I noticed I don't have friends outside of swimming because I have dedicated such a strong amount of time from school to now," O'Callaghan said. And it was being able to separate swimming and her private life that enabled O'Callaghan to find that balance. "That was something after the Olympics I got to learn, was actually having that freedom for five months to be able to go places, do things, without the consequence of swimming or having swimming in the back of my mind," she added. "And it's just a nice refresher to know that there's opportunities and there's other connections outside (swimming) because a lot of the time our bubble is just swimming." Readers seeking support can contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline (13 11 14)
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Terry Francona returns to Cleveland as Reds manager, jokes about getting lost in renovated ballpark
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona reacts in the dugout following the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches from the dugout railing before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches from the dugout railing before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona reacts in the dugout following the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean) Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches from the dugout railing before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) CLEVELAND (AP) — Terry Francona could have used his old scooter to get around the renovated service area beneath Progressive Field. Instead, Francona made do with walking and joked about the changes that have occurred at the ballpark he called home for 11 seasons. Advertisement Francona returned to Cleveland for the first time since being named Cincinnati's manager as the Reds opened a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday. 'I got lost about three times. That's the longest (clubhouse) hallway I've ever seen,' Francona said. 'I don't think I've seen the whole thing yet just because I don't feel like icing down my knees. But from what I've seen in the ballpark, it looks good.' Francona — who used to ride a scooter from his downtown apartment to the ballpark — isn't the only visitor who has joked about the long tunnel from the clubhouse to the dugout on the first-base side. Both clubhouses were renovated during the offseason, more than tripling their size. The 66-year-old manager enters the series unbeaten against his former team: The Reds swept a three-game series at Cincinnati last month. Advertisement Francona was at the helm in Cleveland for 11 seasons and is the franchise's leader in wins (921) and games managed (1,678). Cleveland made the playoffs six times under Francona and lost the 2016 World Series to the Chicago Cubs in seven games, falling just short of the franchise's first title since 1948. He was a senior advisor for the Guardians last year, but only made a couple of trips to Cleveland. He didn't want to get in the way of manager Stephen Vogt and his coaching staff. 'There were a couple times during spring, two hours away I wanted to come up, but I didn't think it was right,' Francona said. 'I just thought for the new staff here, they needed to be able to do things. They don't need me telling 'em how to do it or acting like I'm going to tell 'em how to do it.' 'During the season I watched a lot of baseball, probably more than I have in a long, long time. I'd turn on games that were in the eighth inning tied and I'd watch the end of it and flip to another game and really enjoyed it.' Advertisement While Francona was happy to be back in Cleveland, his focus was on trying to help the Reds extend their winning streak to four games after a weekend sweep of Arizona. 'I had 11 really fun years here and I had some great relationships. That never changes, but now we're trying to figure out a way to beat 'em tonight. That's why we're here. That'll never take away how I feel about people here,' he said. Francona was among several Reds staffers making their return. Bench coach Brad Mills and hitting coach Chris Valaika were on Francona's Cleveland staff, while first-base coach Collin Cowgill and major league coach Mike Napoli played for the franchise. Reds left fielder Will Benson, who hit four home runs during the sweep of the Guardians, was Cleveland's first-round pick in 2016. ___ AP MLB:


USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Washington Capitals star T.J. Oshie retires: Stanley Cup winner was Olympic hero
Washington Capitals star T.J. Oshie retires: Stanley Cup winner was Olympic hero Show Caption Hide Caption Paul Bissonnette on Ovechkin becoming greatest NHL goal scorer of all-time Paul Bissonnette discusses Alex Ovechkin surpassing Wayne Gretzky to become the greatest NHL goal scorer of all-time. Sports Seriously Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, 38, is retiring after a 16-year NHL career in which he won a Stanley Cup and became a U.S. Olympic hero. He had missed this past season with a back injury. He made the tear-filled announcement at the outdoor Washington Harbour venue when he and teammates jumped into the fountains as they celebrated winning the 2018 Stanley Cup. Oshie, then with the St. Louis Blues, became a household name at the 2014 Sochi Olympics when he scored on four of six attempts in the shootout as the USA beat Russia 3-2 in the preliminary round. His prowess in shootouts – he was 7-for-10 entering the Olympics – was a frequent topic of conversation when general manager David Poile and his selection committee chose the U.S. Olympic team roster. "You know at some point we are going to end up in a shootout, and we are going to want T.J. Oshie," Poile had said. International rules allows teams to use a player over and over in shootouts once the initial three players go. Oshie, at one point, had to score or Russia would have won. He did and then eventually got the game-deciding goal. The performance gave him the nickname T.J. Sochi. Oshie was traded to the Capitals in July 2015 and quickly became a fan favorite and eventual alternate captain. He scored 26 goals and 33 goals his first two seasons in Washington, respectively. He stayed with the team on a free agent contract and in 2018, his third season with the team, he and the Capitals won the franchise's lone Stanley Cup title. Oshie had 21 points in 24 playoff games, a league-best six power play goals and two game-winning goals. He scored twice in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to keep the Capitals' hopes alive. After the Capitals beat the Vegas Golden Knights for the championship, he shared the moment on the ice with his father, Tim, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's six years earlier. Oshie and his dad, Tim. Sometimes a picture really is worth 1,000 words. — Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 8, 2018 'My dad. Oh boy. He doesn't remember a lot of stuff these days,' he told NBCSN. 'But he remembers enough. I tell you what – he's here tonight. I don't know where he's at. But this one will stick with him forever. You can guarantee that.' Tim Oshie died in May 2021, and T.J. Oshie scored a hat trick in his first game back. Oshie finished his career with 302 goals, 393 assists and 695 points in 1,010 career games. He also had 49 shootout goals (tied for third overall) and 21 game-deciding shootout goals (third overall). Contributing: Kevin Allen