Login « Christmas in Italy Buon Natale | Home | The Italian Nativity - The Presepio »
Torino 2006 Olympic Torch
The Torino 2006 Olympic torch left Greece after a 10 day stay. It arrived in Italy on December 7. Valentino Castellani, the Torino Olympic Organizing chief accompanied the torch from Greece to Italy aboard a military transport plane.
Mr. Castellani will hand the torch to Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on December 8. Mr. Ciampi will then hand the torch to last year's Olympic marathon champion, Italian Stefano Baldini. Rome and Italy soccer star Francesco Totti and his cross-city rival Paolo Di Canio of Lazio will be the first two torch bearers.
Other torch bearers will include singer Gianni Morandi, former soccer star Gianfranco Zola, former athlete Sara Simeoni, fashion designer Giorgio Armani and gymnast Igor Cassina. In all, ten thousand and one people will carry the lit Torino 2006 Olympic torch during the Torino 2006 Olympic Torch Relay.
Mr. Castellani greeted the arrival of the torch in Italy with "great emotion." Mr. Castellani announced that "We are now ready for the games."
The identity of the final torch-bearer is being kept secret. Bettors are favoring skiing legend Alberto Tombo followed by cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo and motorcycle star Valentino Rossi. The torch relay will go the length of Italy over 64 days. The torch will visit 140 cities, 107 provinces and all of the regions of Italy as well as the neighboring countries of Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and France.
Approximately 12,000 numbered torches have been produced for the Torino 2006 Olympic Torch Relay. There are strict requirements for the torch: it must never go out, the flame should be no taller than 10 cm and each torch should be able to remain lit for 15 minutes.
The Olympic torch will arrive in Torino on February 10, 2006 the day of the opening ceremonies. The last time the Olympic torch was in Italy was in 1960 for the summer Olympic Games in Rome.
The arrival of the Torino 2006 Olympic torch is also being greeted with protests in Torino over the planned high-speed rail tunnel between France and Italy. The protestors have threatened to disrupt the games unless the project is halted.
Posted by Jackie on December 8, 2005
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for Torino 2006 Olympic Torch entry:
http://www.amoretravelguides.com/mt-tb.cgi/121
Comments Post A Comment Form
