Abhinav Bindra, who won a gold medal at the Olympics, has been chosen to carry the torch for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6 to 22, 2026.
Bindra, who won India’s first individual Olympic gold medal in the 10m air rifle event in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said he was very grateful and proud to receive the award.
“I’m truly honored to have been chosen to carry the torch for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Torch Relay.” Bindra commented on his X (previously Twitter) profile, “The Olympic flame has always held a special place in my heart. It stands for dreams, hard work, and the unity that sports bring to our world.”
He went on to say:
“To carry it again is both an honor and a beautiful reminder of what sports can do.” Thank you, @milanocortina2026, for this amazing honor.
Bindra’s selection shows that he is still involved with the Olympics and is a global ambassador for youth empowerment and sports.
Italy will host the Winter Olympics for the fourth time in 2026. The previous three times were in Cortina d’Ampezzo (1956), Turin (2006), and now Milan-Cortina. There will be 116 medal events in 16 sports at the games. This is one more sport and seven more events than at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
The Olympic torch relay, a long-standing tradition that stands for peace and unity, will pass through several Italian cities and regions before the opening ceremony in February 2026.