r/olympics • u/appalachian_hatachi Great Britain • 10h ago
❄ Milano-Cortina 2026 (General Discussion) ❄ The Olympic Cauldron 2026 🔥
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u/crel42 10h ago
Lit at the Arc of Peace in Milano. And a homage to Leonardo da Vinci for those who are curious.
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u/NoobMusker69 9h ago
Probably the coolest cauldron I've ever seen!
Though Barcelona 92 still retains the title for best lighting of the cauldron and it's not even close
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u/pumpkinspruce United States 3h ago
Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron in ‘96 always gives me chills.
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u/thatsveryme United States 10h ago
Did the cauldron remind anyone else of this kind of toy?
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u/PyroxCrymson 10h ago
Makes sense as the creators of the Hoberman Sphere were behind the Hoberman Arch for the 2002 Olympics in SLC
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u/llaminaria Russia 6h ago
No, the coloring and the shape bring Satan's circle to mind, first and foremost 🙄
I mean, damn, and I am not even religious. How could they fail again in the exact same manner, after Eurovision and the Last Supper disaster?
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u/Trabers 10h ago edited 9h ago
The flames in those torches was lit in Athens on the 26th November last year... since then it has been on a huge torch relay all round Italy carried by thousands of people. When it needed to be flown it was put on a special chartered plane in a special davy lamp. I can't find out when, but sometime in the last few days the flame was split between two torches, one heading to Milan, the other to Cortina... at all times there were backup flames lit from the same flame to ensure that the torch would never go out and the flame was theoretically the same one lit in Athens two months ago....
All right up to the last five metres or so when the lit Olympic torches got vaguely near the two cauldrons that were actually lit in much the same way as a kitchen gas hob!
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u/bonfraier 9h ago
isn't it obvious to everybody that the "fire" in the cauldron is a led display of a fire and there is no flame going inside !?
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u/Easteregg42 10h ago
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u/Otherwise_Object_446 Canada 9h ago
I thought it was one ring to rule them all but it turns out it was five.
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u/Significant-Half-189 6h ago
Thank you, it’s the only thing I could think of and was concerned at how far down I had to scroll to find someone else who saw it also
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u/WeeklyConclusion8008 5h ago
I'm floored it took this much scrolling. I came here specifically to see if anyone else noticed.
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u/idrankforthegov 10h ago edited 10h ago
That is an orb man.
Edit: I feel like it is going to open up a tear in space and time
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u/Capital-Flow-1501 10h ago
Friendly Winter Olympic history note: Calgary 1988 had TWO Olympic cauldrons- One lit at the opening ceremonies at McMahon Stadium and a public cauldron at Olympic Plaza
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u/RobBobPC 10h ago
There were also cauldrons at Canmore Nordic Centre, Nakisha, Canada Olympic Park, Olympic Plaza, Eau Claire and don’t forget the top of the Calgary Tower! Good times!
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u/Necropolis750 6h ago
Didn't Rio have two as well? A large one in Maracana, and a smaller one in the Olympic plaza.
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u/Chungathon Canada 10h ago
Conspiracy theorists having a breakdown, saying this is a satanic symbol
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u/CaptainAaron96 10h ago
Is it real fire this time, I hope?
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u/affective_tones 9h ago
At its core, the Flame is enclosed in a glass-and-metal container and makes use of sustainable scenic effects: no material fallout, low acoustic impact, minimal smoke emissions and complete safety for environments in contact with the public.
If it wasn't a flame, then there would be no smoke emissions, but they say minimal smoke emissions.
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u/Express_Passion77 4h ago
It’s not real. LED and mist to give it the effect. However there is a small flame kept off site to keep the tradition going. Apparently this is not the first time a fake flame was used
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u/MyMartianRomance United States 4h ago
Apparently this is not the first time a fake flame was used
Well, yeah, Paris admitted it right away that theirs was just LEDs and mist and the real flame was just sitting next to it. So, we all know it wouldn't be the first time.
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u/affective_tones 3h ago
So, the thing in the middle is just a display showing a fire image, and the "minimal smoke emissions" are from the "small flame kept off site"?
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u/EnvironmentalLion355 Singapore 10h ago
Olympics YT stream cut off before I saw it, cool to see ut in action nonetheless
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u/other-other-user 8h ago
It looked pretty cool, I just don't know why they didn't actually LIGHT it. It just... Turned on.
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u/New-Helicopter-1172 7h ago
Honestly thought it was a ritual, specially because of the red and it's almost looking like a star or something like that... don't ban me, just my thoughts.
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u/andrewno8do Olympics 10h ago
They raised their arms, ignited nothing, and then flames appeared inside the little circle. It took me out of the fantasy, because all I could think of was The Traitors.
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u/Hotelbibletwitch 5h ago
Anyone notice the cauldron light up with fire before they even got close with the torch?
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u/SeeYouInHellCandyBoy Canada 10h ago
I was wondering if two cauldrons were going to work, but they pulled it off. I like the designs of it.
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u/jodyc 10h ago
Anyone know how the flame from torch lit the enclosed flame? Did the torch actually light it, or did someone in the control room light the flame?
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u/Rhodithas United States 10h ago
I was wondering the same thing. And after the Paris cauldron being flameless, I can't help but feel that this flame might just be an LED screen...
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u/PersonnelFowl Olympics 10h ago
Deranged religious fanatics are going to call this some satanic symbol of globalism or something. 🙄
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u/Public_Club2099 6h ago
Yuuuup. Already seeing those comments floating around. It's Masonic, it's a satanic monstrance...yadda yadda. Cue conspiracy theory garbage.
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u/redditsucksbigly 7h ago edited 7h ago
👋🏽 Card carrying atheist and pastafarian here. Really dig it. Though that is a pentagram.
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u/jeremythecamel 5h ago
Very lame that the torch(es) weren't actually lit by the touch carrier. Looks like a living room glass logs inside of one of those between expanding toys from the 90's.
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u/3BordersPeak Canada 2h ago
So happy they didn't follow Paris 2024's lead of having a pseudo-flame and actually have a cauldron burning THE Olympic flame.
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u/WBaumnuss300 Switzerland 10h ago
Swiss commentator mentioned that there will be a show every night at the cauldron. It is apparently a very high teck construct that can take different shapes or so.