Countdown Underway For 2026 Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony

4th September 2025 | James Cove, Greece

The Torch Lighting Ceremony is a long-held custom of the Olympic Video games.

The final Winter Olympic ceremony was held in 2021 forward of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, as we posted  on the time on PlanetSKI.

See our report for the complete particulars of the ceremony:

The November ceremony would be the first formal occasion of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Video games that happen in Italy subsequent February.

The lighting of the flame is anticipated right here in Greece to ignite anticipation for The Video games.

The occasion at Historical Olympia on twenty sixth November 2025 shall be additional particular for Greece as a Greek World Cup ski silver medalist and a second positioned athlete at an Alpine Snowboarding World Championships would be the first torch bearer.

He’s one thing of a nationwide sporting hero.

Step ahead, AJ Ginnis.

“Ginnis is the main Greek athlete in alpine snowboarding, having secured the best distinction ever achieved by a Greek within the sport: second place on the Alpine Snowboarding World Championships,” stated the president of the Olympic Torch Relay Council, Thomas Tokas.

“He’ll symbolize our nation on the forthcoming Winter Olympic Video games, and we imagine he’ll as soon as once more give his all.”

⛷️ AJ Ginnis would be the first Torchbearer for the Winter Olympics Milano-Cortina 2026👉 https://t.co/vzwXoaR9th #AJGinnis #LightingCeremony #OlympicFlame pic.twitter.com/0RTl2dIJCL

— Ηellenic Olympic Committee (@HellenicOlympic) June 18, 2025

“It’s a nice honour for me, one thing I by no means imagined as a toddler,” stated Ginnis.

“I want to thank the Hellenic Olympic Committee for its belief and for this choice.”

Alexandros Ioannis ‘AJ’ Ginnis was born in Athens and learnt to ski at Mt Parnassos.

His dad and mom then moved to the USA when he was 15-years outdated and he was chosen for the US staff in 2012.

He made his World Cup debut in 2014.

In January 2021 Ginnis grew to become the primary Greek alpine racer to register World Cup factors when he completed eleventh within the slalom at Flachau in Austria.

Ginnis achieved his first World Cup podium in February 2023 because the runner-up in a slalom at Chamonix.

He was the primary skier from Greece in historical past to safe a podium place in a World Cup alpine ski race.

PlanetSKI was on the race in Chamonix.

Chamonix World Cup slalom race, February 2023. Picture © PlanetSKI

We watched ‘AJ’ Ginnis alongside the US ski legend, Glen Plake.

“It’s nice to see a US skier on the rostrum, however he’s Greek actually,” stated Glen to us.

“However what the hell, we’ll take it!”

Chamonix World Cup slalom race, February 2023. Picture © PlanetSKI

Ginnis then gained a silver medal within the slalom on the 2023 World Championships a couple of weeks later.

So, all in all, there may be extra of a ski snowboarding presence in Greece than many might imagine.

It has snow, in addition to sand.

PlanetSKI is at the moment on the island of Tinos, close to Mikanos, as we take a look at the snowboarding in Greece and put together many PlanetSKI winter articles, movies and content material for with season of 2025/26 – with none distractions.

Tinos, Greece. Picture © PlanetSKI

“It final snowed right here on Tinos in 2008, however I don’t assume anybody went snowboarding on our mountains,” stated the girl on the automotive rent as we collected our car.

“We do although have loads of snowboarding on the mainland within the winter months, although the snow generally is a it unpredictable,” she added.

Most don’t know there may be snowboarding in Greece, however there are 25 ski areas in Greece with 117 ski lifts that give entry to 190 kms of marked slopes.

The primary ones are:

ParnassosKalavritaKatafygio-OitiVelouchiHelmosVasilitsa MainaloZiriaVelouchiPertouli

They cowl a lot of the mainland.

Picture c/o Snowreport.gr

Snowboarding began for the primary time in Greece within the 1920’s with primitive lifts and runs, however has had slowly rising numbers ever since.

“Though Greece is a rustic the place the solar shines a lot of the 12 months, it will possibly additionally boast some excellent snowboarding resorts with extremely fashionable services that may fulfill even probably the most demanding skiers, providing an unforgettable expertise down spectacular ski runs the place the great thing about the alpine panorama is assured to take your breath away,” says snowreport.gr.

“Get pleasure from a ski run in among the finest recognized snowboarding resorts of the nation, and feast your eyes on the great thing about snow-clad mountaintops as you expertise an awesome feeling of freedom.”

Greece is now very a lot on our listing of locations to ski.

We had been planning a go to final winter, however ran out of time as we ended spending greater than six weeks in Japan:

Greece borders Turkey the place we had a superb and interesting time snowboarding in 2023.

Right here at PlanetSKI we love the world’s extra uncommon ski areas, they’re typically richer and extra rewarding.

Possibly you must put Greece in your listing.

So, lets seems in some extra element about snowsports in Greece and the principle areas.

Snowboarding in Greece. Picture © PlanetSKI

Parnassos

It’s Greece’s hottest ski heart and is about two hours from Athens.

The mountain space has two peaks:

Kellaria, 1,750mFterolakas, 1,950m

There are 13 lifts, 19 ski runs, 7 ski routes, 10 trails and three newbie runs.

There are two cafe-chalets and a restaurant within the heart, ski and snowboard colleges, particular shops for ski and snowboard tools rental and a playground for youngsters.

Parnassos Ski Middle operates from December till the start of Could, and is the most well-liked ski heart in Greece.

It’s positioned about 24 kms from Arachova the place most of the inns and eating places are.

Kalavrita Ski Middle

The following closest ski resort to Athens is on 2,340m Mount Helmos on the Kalavrita Ski Middle within the Peloponessos.

It’s about two and a half hours drive from Athens.

That is the second largest ski resort in Greece and has 12 slopes: 2 tough, 2 intermediate, 6 simple and a pair of very simple.

There are particular areas for snowboarding.

The resort has snack bars, cafes, eating places, outlets for renting or shopping for ski tools and a ski college.

Most individuals keep within the city of Kalavrita which is a wonderful city and is known for the small prepare that climbs the mountain from the seaside city of Diakofto by way of the Vouraikós Gorge to the railway station in Kalavrita.

Typically in early and late season it’s doable ski and go for a swim the identical day.

Close by is the Agia Lavra Monastery and the Cave of the Lakes.

Kalavrita is filled with cozy eating places, cafes, outlets and inns and visitor homes.

Mount Olympus Elatochori Ski Middle

After all if you happen to had to decide on one mountain to ski in Greece it could in all probability be on 2,917m Mount Olympus.

The Elatochori Ski Middle is on the northern slopes of Greece’s most well-known mountain and has six slopes and two lifts in addition to a snowboarding and a sled run.

There are two ski colleges, a store for renting tools, in addition to a chalet and there may be lodging within the varied cities and villages close by.

Mount Olympus is a few 4-hour drive from Athens and the closest village is Elatohori which has eating places, cafes and inns.

Vasilitsa Ski Centre

It’s positioned about 45 kilometers from the city of Grevena about 100 miles west of Thessalonika at an altitude of 2113m within the Pindos Mountains.

The  space is taken into account among the finest snowboard locations in south-east Europe.

The ski heart has 16 ski runs of various ranges of problem and various kinds of terrain with 2 lifts  near  the summit.

There are some spectacular views, together with of Mount Olympus over 200 kilometers away.

The world has two chalets which supply lodging and meals, plus there’s a cafe bar, tools rental store and a snowboard store.

Snowboarding in Greece. Picture © PlanetSKI

See right here for additional particulars on many different Greek ski areas: Greek Journey

When PlanetSKI visits Greece once more for snowboarding it is not going to be the primary time we’ve got reported from Greece.

Certainly one of our reporters,  Konstantinos Valtadros, coated issues in Greece for us a decade or so in the past earlier than he moved to the alpine areas.

We shall be updating this text on actions and experiences on Tinos later.

It is perhaps a spot to go to after an end-of-season ski journey.

Or head to resorts like Kalavrita the place generally, in early and late season, it’s doable to ski and take a swim on the identical day.

 

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