Greek athlete Elena Xenaki named last torchbearer in Greece for Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Alsharq Tribune-M.Essam 

Greek water polo player Elena Xenaki will serve as the final torchbearer on Greek soil for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) announced Thursday at a press conference in Athens detailing preparations for the Olympic flame lighting and handover ceremonies.

Xenaki, a member of Greece's national women's water polo team that captured gold at the World Championships this summer in Singapore, will carry the Flame at the closing stage of the handover ceremony on December 4 at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

"The Flame is more than just a symbol. It carries dreams, values, and strength," Xenaki said. Surrounded by her teammates, she will deliver the Flame before it is passed to the Italian organizers of the 2026 Winter Games.

Greek alpine skier Alexandros Ginnis will begin the torch relay following the flame lighting ceremony on November 26 in ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games in western Greece.

"The Flame symbolizes unity and the power of sport to bring people together," he said during the press conference.

According to HOC officials, the Olympic Torch Relay will span 2,200 kilometers across Greece before concluding at the marble Panathenaic Stadium, the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, where the Flame will be formally handed over to the Milan Cortina 2026 organizers.