THE OLYMPIC TORCH AT THE BELL
The Olympic torch now travelling through Italy in preparation for the 'Milan Cortina 2026' games will be at the Campana dei Caduti on 18 January. This is not a mere ceremonial stop, but a recognition that Maria Dolens is a symbol of Peace, just as that flame represents the ability of nations to engage with one another within a framework of shared rules. Of course, the relay of torchbearers, each carrying the flame along a short segment of the route, which will culminate on February 6 with the inauguration, also serves as an opportunity to promote tourism.Yet the true significance of that fire lies elsewhere, rooted in ancient Greece, where the Games were inseparably linked to the ekecheiria—the sacred truce that suspended conflicts so that athletes and spectators could travel safely to Olympia. That flame embodies the idea that, at least for a time, violence should yield to fair competition, dialogue, and sportsmanship. Not by chance Pindar celebrated the Games as the highest expression of human harmony, noting that “one is the race of men and gods,” united by the same light.
Plato, in the famous myth of the cave, saw in light the passage from shadow to awareness, and the Olympic flame carries with it precisely this aspiration: to make visible the idea that sport can educate, elevate and put on an equal footing individuals who differ in origin, language or social status. In ancient times, during the Games, it was the athlete's skill and merit, not his or her origin, that counted, a principle that anticipates the modern idea of equal rights.
Today, the flame that crosses several continents in the run-up to the Olympics renews this vision on a global scale: no people are excluded from its passage, just as no right should be denied. The torch relay then becomes a powerful metaphor for collective responsibility: Peace, like fire, must be guarded and passed on.
In modern times, competition is mostly seen as opposition, sometimes as confrontation. But in ancient thought, sport was thought of as an instrument of social balance. Aristotle recognised exercise as an essential element in the formation of the citizen, because it taught measure, respect for rules and recognition of others. The Olympic flame still recalls these values today, reminding us that genuine competition is not based on exclusion, but on equal starting conditions and respect for all. Only in this dimension does sport become a universal language that promotes human rights.
The rebirth of the flame in the modern Games is therefore not just a tribute to tradition, but a deeply political symbolic act. Lighting the brazier means affirming that the dignity of the person comes before national, ideological or religious divisions. The Olympic flame reminds us that we can challenge one another fairly, guided by rules we all share.
Each leg of the torchbearers' relay reaffirms that sport can be a space for inclusion. Athletes of all kinds, backgrounds and social conditions find in the flame a sign of recognition and equal value. It is a message that resonates with the modern concept of universal human rights, yet it has ancient roots: Solon already connected justice to balance and to the participation of all citizens in the life of the polis.
When the flame reaches the stadium and the brazier is lit, it will not only be inaugurating a sporting event. It will also be renewing a symbolic pact uniting equality and freedom. That fire is a reminder that sport, like democracy, thrives on common rules and mutual respect. For this reason too, the torchbearers’ passage at the Colle di Miravalle will stand as one of the Bell’s many powerful reminders that Peace is forged each day, in both the small gestures and the grand deeds of our lives.
