Olympic Flame Ignites Journey to Milan Cortina Winter Games

The Olympic flame for the Milan Cortina Winter Games commenced its journey from Greece. Bad weather moved the ceremony indoors. The flame will tour Greece briefly before a 12,000-kilometer relay across Italy, marking cultural sites and involving 10,000 runners leading up to the opening ceremony.

The journey of the Olympic flame to the Milan Cortina Winter Games started on Wednesday, clouded by weather concerns.

In Greece, the traditional torch-lighting ceremony was relocated indoors due to bad weather. A backup flame from a previous sunny rehearsal was used as overcast skies prevented the usual sun-focused ignition.

Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis kicked off the torch relay. The flame will travel through Greece before a comprehensive 63-day, 12,000-kilometer tour of Italy, involving cultural site visits and 10,000 runners ahead of the February Games.

(With inputs from agencies.)