Milan Cortina 2026 Cauldron

[AustralianFan]

Milan Cortina Cauldron 2026

In around 18 months or so, the Milan Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony and likely Cauldron ignition location is due be held at San Siro Stadium in Milano.

With Cauldron guessing discussions a bit of a Gamesbids tradition, does anyone have any ideas on what we can expect in 2026?

I know our own Cauldron Whisperer @fusilli correctly predicted in 2023 the concept of the Paris 2024 Cauldron.

8 hours ago, AustralianFan said:

From Paris 2024 Cauldron thread:

@fusilli you nailed it with your 2023 prediction about the Paris Cauldron.

We should call you the “Cauldron Whisperer”

 

3 hours ago, fusilli said:

Thank you, Australian. Have to say, though, that many clues were kinda there. Plus, knowing the host country's culture helps too. And no offence but some times in this forum seems that people tend to go too much with technicalities and enjoy less about the flow of things.

About LA'28, way too early. Clues are still vague to be on the radar. But I can start catching Milan's..

 

[baron-pierreIV]

#1 - Either it will be a very small flame or again, like Paris, just some "fake substitute."  Except for LA28 and SLC  2034 -- because there are historic caldera already used in previous OGs in place, other Olympic Games will no longer be allowed to waste fossil fuels. 

#2 - The IOC put their foot down on Paris 2024 and/or the COJO also agreed that it's an environmental spoiler -- and took the first steps by reducing the number of 2024 torches to just 2,000.  I can tell you that that number will be going down steadily for the succeeding OGs. 

[olympiaki-agones]

On 7/30/2024 at 1:55 AM, baron-pierreIV said:

#1 - Either it will be a very small flame or again, like Paris, just some "fake substitute."  Except for LA28 and SLC  2034 -- because there are historic caldera already used in previous OGs in place, other Olympic Games will no longer be allowed to waste fossil fuels. 

I hope that flame from the cauldron be a real one at least, not like the fake one used in one of those Universidade Games also held in Italy. That really made me lose any interest on keeping watching those games forever.

[fusilli]

In Milan they may already have a tall-fancy structure that has potential to serve as a cauldron.. it was made for the 2015 Expo.

vvv

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_2015

 

[fusilli]

Anyway I expect it to be somehow vertical in order to gain exposure over the brutalist giant that it is San Siro. 

[baron-pierreIV]

10 hours ago, fusilli said:

In Milan they may already have a tall-fancy structure that has potential to serve as a cauldron.. it was made for the 2015 Expo.

vvv

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_2015

 

Except how will it be seen in Verona at the Closing, so it can be extinguished??  🫢 Or will they have a FAKE 2nd cauldron in Verona to extinguish?? 

Edited February 11, 2025 by baron-pierreIV

[yoshi]

As long as it's not just a torch plugged into a socket, it'll do  Must admit I'm quite surprised they're using a real flame torch, I thought after how effective the Paris cauldron was, the IOC would've insisted on LEDs for the torch too. I assume they'll use the same tech as Paris for the cauldron, that way there can be a proper symbol without having to resort to Beijing's disaster. 

[baron-pierreIV]

1 hour ago, yoshi said:

I thought after how effective the Paris cauldron was, the IOC would've insisted on LEDs for the torch too. 

Should we suggest to the HOC (Commite Olympique Hellenique) that maybe the Torch-Lighting in Olympia also have an LED component now?  I mean the Esports Games in Riyadh 2027 would need that, right???  

[sebastien1214]

I think it could be almost the same as for Paris: the cauldron was left in front of the Louvre, but the real flame was transported during the ceremony to the Stadium. We can imagine for 2026 a LED cauldron in Milan, with the real flame next to it in a small lantern (so like for Paris), and on the day of the closing ceremony we take the small lantern to Verona to extinguish it. (I think that LED cauldrons, or rather real-fake cauldrons, are the future anyway with all the environmental issues. And as much as Beijing was annoying, the Paris cauldron was an undeniable success - except of course for traditionalists)

[sebastien1214]

4 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Should we suggest to the HOC (Commite Olympique Hellenique) that maybe the Torch-Lighting in Olympia also have an LED component now?  I mean the Esports Games in Riyadh 2027 would need that, right???  

The day the IOC is less conservative (well, objectively they made a lot of efforts in 2024... but because we pushed them to do so, too), I'm sure we'll have a fully virtual flame with LED lighting at Olympia. The concept has already been studied and validated by the Paris 2024 teams anyway (on the technical side), I hope they kept that in case in 10-20 years the IOC remembers that and says "by the way, finally we'd be interested now..."

[BigVic]

https://archive.is/UB6Im

Article reports they'll be two cauldrons in Milan and Cortina. Of course there won't be a gigantic one similar to Torino's 

[baron-pierreIV]

4 hours ago, BigVic said:

https://archive.is/UB6Im

Article reports they'll be two cauldrons in Milan and Cortina. Of course there won't be a gigantic one similar to Torino's 

Two?  There will be 3.  They need a "fake" one in Verona for the Closing to extinguish.  

[fusilli]

In case of a flat/itinerant cauldron they could keep it inside San Siro during the 2 weeks competition (assuming the stadium would be still booked by then) and then possibly move it.

[DamC]

53 minutes ago, fusilli said:

In case of a flat/itinerant cauldron they could keep it inside San Siro during the 2 weeks competition (assuming the stadium would be still booked by then) and then possibly move it.

 

The Milan cauldron is not going to be inside the stadium for two weeks, it'll probably be somewhere accessible to the public, much like in Vancouver, Rio, or Tokyo.

[fusilli]

^^why not? The stadium will only host the opening ceremony. After that there would be plenty of space to accomodate a flat (or floating, whatever) cauldron inside. Besides, I can't see many picturesque spots in Milan where to allocate such iconic strutture. Of course the cities you mentioned had such spots.

[baron-pierreIV]

Could be by the Village, in the Galleria or maybe in front of La Scala.  

[StefanMUC]

3 hours ago, fusilli said:

^^why not? The stadium will only host the opening ceremony. After that there would be plenty of space to accomodate a flat (or floating, whatever) cauldron inside. Besides, I can't see many picturesque spots in Milan where to allocate such iconic strutture. Of course the cities you mentioned had such spots.

Piazza del Duomo? Or at the castle.

[fusilli]

^^crowdy, isn't It?

🙂

[AustralianFan]

After seeing Paris 2024’s majestic Cauldron fly again tonight, almost 12 months after the Games, I wonder what Milano Cortina has in mind for 2026 in this new era of flame-less Cauldrons?

[yoshi]

Can't imagine it'll be anything too elaborate. They'll need about 10 of the things after all!

[AustralianFan]

3 hours ago, yoshi said:

Can't imagine it'll be anything too elaborate. They'll need about 10 of the things after all!

Yes I agree, cost restraints will drive a simplified 2026 Cauldron.  I think Paris 2024’s majestic cauldron  has topped the creativity scale of flameless ones.

I just hope that Milano Cortina 2026 doesn’t revert to the miniscule Beijing 2022 model.

[Rei]

The Milano-Cortina 2026 site reports that the Milanese counterpart of the olympic cauldron is planned to be located in Piazzale della Pace, a large plaza at the the edge of the Sempione Park.

 

The other one in Cortina is going to be placed in its historic city center.

 

 

 

[Rei]

 

 

Arco della Pace 👌

[BigVic]

They'll be two cauldrons for the first time in Olympic history. Wonder if they'll be lit simultaneously in the Opening Ceremony 

[Bear]

26 minutes ago, BigVic said:

They'll be two cauldrons for the first time in Olympic history. Wonder if they'll be lit simultaneously in the Opening Ceremony 

They will be, it has been confirmed