VIDEO SHOWS: OFFICIALS ARRIVING AT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ANCIENT OLYMPIA TO ATTEND THE INDOOR TORCH-LIGHTING CEREMONY / COMMENTS BY IOC PRESIDENT, 2026 MILANO-CORTINA PRESIDENT AND FIRST TORCHBEARER RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: ANCIENT OLYMPIA, GREECE (NOVEMBER 26, 2024) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF ACTRESSES PLAYING THE ROLE OF PRIESTESSES WALKING TO THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ANCIENT OLYMPIA, PASSING IN FRONT OF SOLDIERS OF THE GREEK PRESIDENTIAL GUARD, DRESSED IN THE TRADITIONAL NATIONAL COSTUME 2. MAN HOLDING AN OTTOMAN-ERA SWORD AS PART OF HIS TRADITIONAL COSTUME 3. SOLDIERS OF THE GREEK PRESIDENTIAL GUARD STANDING OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM 4. FORMER IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH, WALKING TO THE MUSEUM, WAVING TO THE PRESS, SAYING (English): “Good morning, how are you?” 5. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS OF THE GREEK PRESIDENTIAL GUARD STANDING AT ATTENTION AT THE GREEK NATIONAL ANTHEM 6. EUROPEAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEES PRESIDENT SPYROS CAPRALOS, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) PRESIDENT KIRSTY COVENTRY, GREECE PRESIDENT CONSTANTINE TASSOULAS, AND HELLENIC OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT ISIDOROS KOUVELOS WALKING TO THE MUSEUM OF ANCIENT OLYMPIA TO ATTEND THE TORCH-LIGHTING CEREMONY 7. PRESIDENTIAL GUARD PERFORMING A MILITARY SALUTE 8. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CAPTURING WITH THEIR PHONES THE LIGHTING OF THE TORCH AND THE TRADITIONAL OUTDOOR CEREMONY, AS IT WAS FILMED DURING A REHEARSAL ON MONDAY (NOVEMBER 24) AND SCREENED OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) 2026 MILANO-CORTINA WINTER OLYMPICS PRESIDENT, GIOVANNI MALAGO, SAYING: “We thought of a new idea, a new project, a new model of the Games. Our master plan is designed for this new type of vision of the Games. The right term for titling the Games is, yes, Milano-Cortina, but at the same time it is Olympia dei Territori, as we wanted strongly at the beginning to organise the Games in the place where in Italy we had a very strong tradition.” 10. VARIOUS OF PRIESTESS WALKING OUT OF THE MUSEUM HOLDING WHITE DOVE IN HER HANDS AS THE VOICE OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS IS HEARD SAYING (Greek): “‘APOLLO, GOD OF THE SUN AND THE IDEA OF LIGHT, YOU DID SEND YOUR RAYS AND LIT THE SACRED TORCH FOR THE HOSPITABLE CITIES OF MILAN AND CORTINA.” 11. PRIESTESS RELEASING DOVE IN THE SKY 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) PRESIDENT, KIRSTY COVENTRY, SAYING: “In today's world sadly we have a lot of division and a lot of conflicts and for me this is reason why our Olympic movement is even more important. Because it allows for there to be a platform that unifies and is a symbol of peace and we have to really fight very hard to ensure that the Olympic movement in the field of play remains mutual for all athletes to be able to compete and for them to live out their childhood dreams, but also to inspire the next generation. And for me the Olympic Games showcases the best of humanity. You have athletes from all walks of life from all corners of the globe that come together and they compete in the most stressful environment in a peaceful manner and they have an automatic respect for each other and if that's not the best of humanity then I'm not sure what is. So we have to work really hard to ensure that we continue to have a relevant movement and a relevant platform to allow for peace and unity to shine through.” 13. FIRST TORCHBEARER, OLYMPIC ROWING MEDALLIST PETROS GAIDATZIS HOLDING THE OLYMPIC TORCH AND AN OLIVE BRANCH, STARTING THE RELAY, JOINED BY ITALIAN FORMER CROSS-COUNTRY SKIER STEFANIA BELMONDO 14. (SOUNDBITE)(English) FIRST TORCHBEARER, GREEK OLYMPIC ROWER, PETROS GAIDATZIS, SAYING: “The world knows more about Olympic athletes because they have so much to say, so much to inspire, so the world should concentrate a lot more to the Olympic athletes.” 15. GREEK PRESIDENTIAL GUARDS STANDING OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM OF ANCIENT OLYMPIA 16. GREEK FLAG WAVING STORY: Actresses playing the role of priestesses and officials arrived at the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Olympia on Wednesday (November 26) as Greek presidential guards stood by for an indoor, scaled-down torch-lighting ceremony for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The traditional outdoor ceremony, normally held at the stadium where the Games were born in Ancient Greece, was cancelled in advance due to weather warnings, with officials and the public instead watching a video of Monday’s rehearsal, before the flame was carried into the museum for the torch lighting. 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics president Giovanni Malago said organisers had adopted a “new model” of Games designed around Italy’s regions, while IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the Olympic movement remained vital as a platform “for peace and unity to shine through” in today’s world of division and conflicts. Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis then left the museum as the first torchbearer, joined by Italian Olympic cross-country ski champion Stefania Belmondo for the first part of the relay. After a week-long route through Greece, the flame will be handed over to Italian organisers on December 4 before it travels to Italy for the start of a months-long domestic relay. The torch will pass through 60 Italian cities and 300 towns with a total of 10,001 torchbearers, before reaching Cortina D’Ampezzo on January 26 – exactly 70 years after the opening ceremony of the 1956 Games at the same venue. The journey will conclude in Milan, entering the San Siro stadium on the evening of February 6 for the Games' opening ceremony. (Production: Stamos Prousalis, Valentini Anagnostopoulou)
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