The committee and CONI are passing the buck, but too many Olympians are missing from the list: from Albarello to De Zolt and Vanzetta, from Paruzzi to Giorgio Di Centa and Piller Cottrer

Hosting the Olympics has its own magical aura, combining pride and exceptionality, but above all offering the country great opportunities. That’s right, opportunities. If we listen to the institutions, the Games are – rightly – a great opportunity to show Italy to the world. Then there is the opportunity for a legacy, made up of infrastructure and sustainability that is destined to remain. There is the sporting opportunity of having Italian athletes already qualified in every discipline. And then there is the opportunity to experience a moment of emotion and recognition for what has been achieved in a career wearing the colors of Italy. How? The simplest way, which is also the most controversial, is one: to be chosen as a torchbearer. This is an important call, but one that several athletes who have won gold in past Winter Olympics have not received. They are therefore left to watch as February 6, the date of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Games, draws closer.

Like Silvio Fauner, gold medalist in the 4×10 kilometer relay in Lillehammer in 1994, who recounted this in a long interview. Carrying that flame is not exhibitionism, at least not for an athlete. That light jog with the torch in hand for those who have dedicated their lives to sport is much more than a parade, it is something that has to do with endless training, challenging oneself, the tension of performance, the infinite emotion of a historic victory. Or at least what was thought to remain historic, but which seems to have already been forgotten by many. The feat of those four in the Norwegian cold, capable of ruining the party even for King Harald, who came with 150,000 other people to cheer on his quartet, was not considered. Only Marco Albarello brought the torch to his Val d’Aosta, for Maurilio De Zolt, Giorgio Vanzetta, and Silvio Fauner, nothing. The same goes for Giorgio Di Centa, Pietro Piller Cottrer, and Gabriella Paruzzi. Not to mention the Ghedina case, who is not an Olympian but who, especially in Cortina, carries a lot of weight, fortunately resolved with a happy ending. Yet, the Flame’s journey was long and there were many torchbearers, 10,001 to be exact. Was there really no room for them? Of course, some Olympic gold medalists were called upon, from Deborah Compagnoni to Enrico Fabris, from Franco Nones (Grenoble 1968) to Manuela Di Centa, and even the queen of curling in Tokyo, Stefania Constantini (excluded from the flag bearers by CONI). In short, the torch is for many but not for all.

Whose fault is it?—  It is only right to ask for an explanation. The Milano Cortina Foundation, which manages the selection of torchbearers in collaboration with Coca-Cola and Eni (which have their own representatives, many of whom are linked to the world of entertainment but also have an eye on social issues), is sorry for the disappointment of so many champions, but also makes it clear that, in a sense, it was relying on CONI for the involvement of certain historic names in Italian sport. In what way? In the selection of the last torchbearers for the evening of February 6. Palazzo H first responds that the Olympic Committee only chooses the flag bearers for the opening ceremony, and that everything else is up to the organizing committee. Then they expanded their role to include the list of those who will pass the flame in the final. In fact, the first athletes in Greece were chosen by CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio and his collaborators: Stefania Belmondo and Armin Zoeggeler were joined by Filippo Ganna and Jasmine Paolini, winter Olympians alongside summer Olympians. The same will happen in the final stage of the journey. Could Fauner and the others be chosen as a surprise for the last, most prestigious leg? The answer is clear: no. CONI has made it known that the choices have already been made, so there is no point in creating false illusions. How many there will be is not known, and even asking seems inappropriate.

shows and social media—  It is better to simply point out that—perhaps due to the massive (but necessary) collaboration of sponsors—sport, and winter sports in particular, has been neglected, to say the least. The dynamics are complex, as we know, but how can we disagree with a champion like Fauner when he points out the presence of Sarabanda’s Cat Man? And we cannot fail to notice the almost endless series of influencers wearing regulation Olympic tracksuits, who certainly allow the Games’ social media accounts to rack up impressive numbers, but who have very little to do with the Olympic spirit. Curtain.