Milano 2026 torch relay will attract attention but security plans good, says IOC

There is afloat trust successful information readying for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games torch relay, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said, days aft pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Vuelta a Espana cycling race.

The torch for the Games, which will beryllium lit successful past Olympia successful Greece successful November, will get successful Rome connected December 4 earlier the authoritative start of the relay crossed the state connected December 6.

It will extremity up successful Milan for the Opening Ceremony connected February 6, and much than 3,500 athletes from 93 countries will take portion successful the 16 days of competitions.

“The Olympic torch relay is decidedly going to pull a batch of attention,” Kristin Kloster, who chairs the IOC’s coordination committee for the Games, told a property league astatine the extremity of the last inspection visit.

“I person each religion successful the organizing committee connected however they program the Olympic torch and besides for the municipalities and regions successful which the torch goes through. They are conscious of imaginable information matters, which would beryllium mean for immoderate torch relay starring up to the Games.”

Pro-Palestinian protests astatine sporting events

Pro-Palestinian protests forced the Vuelta to beryllium abandoned during its last stage connected Sunday arsenic constabulary sought to quell demonstrations against an Israeli team’s information successful the race.

Protesters chanting “they will not pass” overturned metallic barriers and occupied the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) way astatine respective points successful Madrid arsenic constabulary attempted to propulsion them back.

Two radical were arrested and 22 constabulary officers injured.

The Olympic torch relay has been disrupted by protests earlier with the 2008 Beijing Summer Games planetary relay scrapped midway done pursuing quality rights demonstrations successful cities the torch visited.

“The fig 1 task for the hosts is to unafraid the information of participants,” said Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi.

“Always you person a definite level of hazard you request to address. Full trust successful the work being done.”

“Great work, large planning. We person afloat trust successful what is being done.”

Israel’s war against Palestinian Islamist radical Hamas has sparked protests globally and affected respective sporting events.

Seven Israeli chess players withdrew from a Spanish tournament aft organizers told them they would not beryllium competing under their flag, citing the Gaza struggle and expressing solidarity with the Palestinians. [Reuters]