Alessandro Lupino and Tony Cairoli are the protagonists of the Olympic torch relay.

• Ducati Off-Road riders Alessandro Lupino and Antonio Cairoli take centre stage in the Olympic torch relay
• Lupino opened the Milan-Cortina Olympic torch relay in Rome, while Cairoli lit the Olympic cauldron in Palermo before a large crowd of spectators.

Torchbearers for a day, the two Ducati Off-Road riders, Alessandro Lupino and Antonio Cairoli, alternated along the Olympic torch relay route. Lupino, eight-time Italian MX Champion and MX2 Italian Championship runner-up in 2025 with the Desmo250 MX, had the honour of opening the Olympic torch relay, which will involve 10,000 torchbearers over a 12,000 km route. He set off from the CONI building with the lit torch, which arrived in Palermo nine days later.

Taking up the torch in Sicily was Cairoli, a nine-time World Champion, who concluded the tenth day’s journey by lighting the Olympic cauldron in front of the Politeama Theatre in the city, greeted by a crowd of spectators thrilled by the event, which returns to Italy 20 years after Turin 2006.

Alessandro Lupino: “I’m very proud to have been a torchbearer leaving the CONI building and to have been among the first to carry the Olympic torch along the route that will take it across the peninsula to Milan. I didn’t expect to be so moved by the experience, and I thank the Federation and CONI for giving me this opportunity. I will also have the honour of being present at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and I’m sure it will be an unforgettable experience.”

Antonio Cairoli: “It was a great honour to bring the Olympic flame to Sicily and light the cauldron in front of so many people, right here in my homeland, the land I’ve always strived to represent throughout my career. Running through the streets of Palermo with the torch was truly emotional, and I wish all the Italian athletes the very best during the 2026 Milan-Cortina XXV Winter Olympic Games.”