“Essential” torch heralds the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics

Before the thrill of victory; before the agony of defeat; before the gold medalist's national anthem plays, there is the Olympic torch. A symbol of unity, friendship, and the spirit of competition, the torch links today's Olympic Games to its heritage in ancient Greece.

The torch for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games and Paralympic Games was designed by Carlo Ratti, a professor of the practice for the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the director of the Senseable City Lab in the MIT School of Architecture and Planning.

A native of Turin, Italy, and a respected designer and architect worldwide, Ratti's work and that of his firm, Carlo Ratti Associati, has been featured at various international expositions such as the French Pavilion at the Osaka Expo (World's Fair) in 2025 and the Italian Pavilion at the Dubai Expo in 2020. Their design for The Cloud, a 400-foot tall spherical structure that would serve as a unique observation deck, was a finalist for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but ultimately not built.

Ratti relishes the opportunity to participate in these events.

"You can push the boundaries more at these [venues] because you are building something that is temporary," says Ratti. "They allow for more creativity, so it's a good moment to experiment."

Based on his previous work, Ratti was invited to design the torch by the Olympic organizers. He approached the project much as he instructs his students working in his lab.

"It is about what the object or the design is to convey," Ratti says. "How it can touch people, how it can relate to people, how it can transmit emotions. That's the most important thing."

To Ratti, the fundamental aspect of the torch is the flame. A few months before the games begin, the torch is lit in Olympia, Greece, using a parabolic mirror reflecting the sun's rays. In ancient Greece, the flame was considered "sacred," and was to remain lit throughout the competition. Ratti, familiar with the history of the Olympic torch, is less impressed with designs that he deems overwrought. Many torches added superfluous ornamentation to its exterior much like cars are designed around their engines, he says. Instead, he decided to strip away everything that wasn't essential to the flame itself.

What is "essential"

"Essential" - the official name for the 2026 Winter Olympic torch - was designed to perform regardless of the weather, wind, or altitude it would encounter on its journey from Olympia to Milan. The process took three years with many designs created, considered, and discussed with the local and global Olympic committees and Olympic sponsor Versalis. And, as with Ratti's work at MIT, researchers and engineers collaborated in the effort.

"Each design pushed the boundaries in different directions, but all of them with the key principle to put the flame at the center," says Ratti who wanted the torch to embody "an ethos of frugality."

At the core of Ratti's torch is a high-performance burner powered by bio-GPL produced by energy company ENI from 100 percent renewable feedstocks. Furthermore, the torch can be recharged 10 times. In previous years, torches were used only once. This allowed for a 10-fold reduction in the number of torches created.

Also unique to this torch is its internal mechanism, which is visible via a vertical opening along its side, allowing audiences to see the burner in action. This reinforces the desire to keep the emphasis on the flame instead of the object.

In keeping with the requisite for minimalism and sustainability, the torch is primarily composed of recycled aluminum. It is the lightest torch created for the Olympics, weighing just under 2.5 pounds. The body is finished with a PVD coating that is heat resistant, letting it shift colors by reflecting the environments - such as the mountains and the city lights - through which it is carried. The Olympic torch is a blue-green shade, while the Paralympic torch is gold.

The torch won an honorable mention in Italy's most prestigious industrial design award, the Compasso d'Oro.

The Olympic Relay

The torch relay is considered an event itself, drawing thousands as it is carried to the host city by hundreds of volunteers. Its journey for the 2026 Olympics started in late November and, after visiting cities across Greece, will have covered all 110 Italian provinces before arriving in Milan for the opening ceremony on Feb. 6.

Ratti carried the torch for a portion of its journey through Turin in mid-January - another joyful invitation to this quadrennial event. He says winter sports are his favorite; he grew up skiing where these games are being held, and has since skied around the world - from Utah to the Himalayas.

In addition to a highly sustainable torch, there was another statement Ratti wanted to make: He wanted to showcase the Italy of today and of the future. It is the same issue he confronted as the curator of the 2025 Biennale Architettura in Venice titled "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective: an architecture exhibition, but infused with technology for the future."

"When people think about Italy, they often think about the past, from ancient Romans to the Renaissance or Baroque period," he says. "Italy does indeed have a significant past. But the reality is that it is also the second-largest industrial powerhouse in Europe and is leading in innovation and tech in many fields. So, the 2026 torch aims to combine both past and future. It draws on Italian design from the past, but also on future-forward technologies."

"There should be some kind of architectural design always translating into form some kind of ethical principles or ideals. It's not just about a physical thing. Ultimately, it's about the human dimension. That applies to the work we do at MIT or the Olympic torch."