Alessandro Lupino and Tony Cairoli, protagonists of the Olympic torch relay

• Ducati Off-Road riders Alessandro Lupino and Antonio Cairoli took 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 riders alternated along the 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. The relay will involve 10,000 torchbearers over a 12,000 km route, beginning at 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 Palermo, greeted by an enthusiastic crowd. The event marks the return of the Olympics to Italy 20 years after Turin 2006.

Alessandro Lupino: “I’m very proud to have been a torchbearer, leaving the CONI building and being among the first to carry the Olympic torch along the route to Milan. I didn’t expect to be so moved by it, and I thank the Federation and CONI for giving me this opportunity. I will also have the honour of attending the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which I’m sure 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 in my homeland, which I’ve always aimed to represent throughout my career. Running through the streets of Palermo with the torch was truly emotional, and I wish all Italian athletes every success during the 2026 Milan-Cortina XXV Winter Olympic Games.”