Stars of Italian volleyball were among the central figures during the solemn lighting of the Olympic flame at San Siro stadium in Milan – a key moment of the ceremony related to the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Among the main participants in the ritual were world champions Anna Danesi, Paola Egonu, Carlotta Cambi, Simone Giannelli, Simone Anzani, and Luca Porro, who made volleyball one of the symbols of the evening.
A particularly touching moment occurred when the Olympic flame was passed from two legends of Italian football – Giuseppe Bergomi and Franco Baresi – to the six national volleyball players. Olympic and world champions Egonu and Cambi were the first to take the torch, after which it passed to Giannelli, Porro, and Anzani.
The entire scene unfolded to the sounds of the famous aria "Nessun dorma", which gave additional emotional power to the moment and highlighted the significance of volleyball in contemporary Italian sport.
The only disappointment in the otherwise magnificent ceremony came from a TV gaffe by Rai, which, during the live broadcast, failed to correctly name five of the six volleyball players, including both captains of Italy's national teams. The incident caused confusion but did not diminish the value of the event.
More volleyball greats participated in carrying the flame through Italy, including Ivan Zaytsev. For the opposite hitter, this was a special moment also due to family history – his father, Vyacheslav Zaytsev, is an Olympic champion and one of the biggest figures in the history of world volleyball.
The presence of so many volleyball representatives underscored the sport's place among Italy's calling cards and the connection between generations of Olympians. The evening at San Siro showed how tradition and contemporary elite go hand in hand on the path to Milan–Cortina 2026.
