Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Friday, January 23, 2026 21:34 / Updated Friday, January 23, 2026 22:03
Romanian coach Cristi Chivu (45 years old), Inter's technician, will carry the Olympic flame for this year's Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
The Milan-Cortina Olympic Games will take place between February 6 and 22, in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The huge announcement was made by Inter on Friday evening right before the match against Pisafrom tonight, which starts at 21:45, on “Giuseppe Meazza”, in the 22nd round of Serie A.
Cristi Chivu will carry the Olympic flame for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
Cristi Chivu will carry the Olympic flame for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
“Cristian Chivu will carry the Olympic flame! 🖤💙 Our head coach is officially the bearer of the torch for Milano-Cortina 2026!”, Inter reported.
Other sports personalities carrying the Olympic flame for the 2026 edition of the Winter Olympics:
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Gregorio Paltrinieri (swimming), Elisa Di Francisca (fencing), Gianmarco Tamberi (high jump), Achille Polonara (basketball), Flavia Pennetta (tennis), Francesco Bagnaia (MotoGP), Myriam Sylla (volleyball), Robert Pirès (football), Tania Di Mario (water polo), Salvatore Cavallaro (boxing), Jasmine Paolini (tennis), Filippo Ganna (cycling), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (football), Andrea Ranocchia (football), Filippo Inzaghi (football).
Nadia Comăneci carried the Olympic flame at the Olympic Games in Paris
On July 26, 2024, in Paris, the opening ceremony of the Paris Summer Olympics took place. For the first time in history, the festivity was held outside the usual framework, more precisely on the Seine, in an idyllic setting, with dozens of boats transporting the athletes on the waters of the emblematic river of Paris.
The evening ended with a colorful show and an emotional moment: in the final road to Hauts-de-Seine, the torch was carried by Rafael Nadal, Nadia Comăneci, Carl Lewis and Serena Williamsthose who paraded on the Seine at night, with the Olympic flame raised to the sky.
The Romanian delegation for the Winter Olympic Games in Milan – Cortina
Romania will participate with a delegation of 29 athletes at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina.
- Biathlon – Anterselva Olympic Village
- 6 athletes (2 female, 4 male) Anastasia Tolmacheva, Andreea Mezdrea, George Buta, George Colțea, Raul Flore, Dmitrii Shamaev
- Technicians: Gheorghe Stoian – head coach, Sorin Gîrbacea and Cristian Moșoiu – second coaches (male), Vasile Gheorghe – head coach, female
- grain – Cortina Olympic Village
- 4 athletes + 1 reserve (male) Constantin Dinescu, George Iordache, Mihai Păcioianu, Mihai Tentea – starters, Andrei Nica – reserve
- Technicians: Iulian Păcioianu – head coach, Dorin Grigore, second coach
- Figure skating – Milan Olympic Village
- 1 athlete (female) Julia Sauter
- Coach: Roxana Luca
- sleigh – Cortina Olympic Village
- 7 athletes (3 female, 4 male) Corina Buzățoiu, Raluca Strămăturaru, Carmen ManolescuValentin Crețu, Eduard Crăciun, Marian Gîtlan, Darius Șerban
- Technicians: Alexandru Comșa – head coach, Radu Eugen – second coach
- Ski jumping – Predazzo Olympic Village
- 4 athletes (2 male, 2 female) Daniela Toth, Delia FoleaDaniel Cacina, Mihnea Spulber
- Technicians: Florin Spulber – head coach, Adrian Comănescu – second coach
- Alpine skiing – Cortina Olympic Village (female matches), Bormio Olympic Village (male matches)
- 2 athletes (1 female, 1 male) Sofia MoldovanAlexandru Ștefănescu
- Technicians: Luigi Rossi – coach (female) Andrei Burchiu – coach (male)
- Cross-country skiing – Predazzo Olympic Village
- 3 athletes (1 female, 2 male) Delia Reit, Paul Pepene, Gabriel Cojocaru
- Technicians: Ioan Lungociu – head coach, Ioan Poponeci – second coach
- Snowboarding – Livigno Olympic Village
- 2 sportsKata Mandel, Henrietta Bartalis
- Technicians: Kinda Geza – head coach, Zoltan Reisz – second coach
More than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries will compete for 195 medals in 16 sports between February 6 and 22 in Italy. The finalization of the Romanian delegation will be done in the next period. At the previous edition of the Olympic Games, the one in Beijing 2022, Romania was represented by 21 athletes in seven sports disciplines.
