PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – It is 20:40 when the former motocross champion Tony Cairoli reaches piazza Ruggero Settimo with the torch in the hands and lights the brazier located on stage next to the theater Politeama: Palermo celebrates the Olympics of Milan-Cortina 2026, closing the first of four days in which the Flame crosses different cities of the island.
The capital is the last stop of the day after Castelvetrano, Selinunte, Mazara del Vallo, Marsala, Trapani and Monreale: the tour will depart tomorrow morning from Cefalù and will close Thursday to Messina. There are 49 tedophorae that have crossed the streets of Palermo: among them the rosanero technician Filippo Inzaghi (45th to bring the torch with departure from the central station), the half-funder Rachid Berradi and the windsurf champion Sofia Giunchiglia. The route of the Fiamma started from the Renzo Barbera Stadium at 18:32 (a delay of about 40 minutes compared to the roadmap), passing from the nerve points of the city: the statue of Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the port, the Cala, the Foro Italico, the central station, the historical markets (Vucciria and Ballarò) and the theater Massimo, with Piazza Ruggero Settimo as a final stage after about two hours of journey.
“It is a great pleasure for me to bring the flame here to Palermo, I brought Sicily up in all the ten championships of the world I won: It doesn’t happen every day to bring the Olympic Flame and bring it to my land is one of the most exciting experiences to live”, says Cairoli.
Music, artistic performances, dance performances and even the testimonies of some tedophorae (sicilian and non) accompanied the public until the arrival of the torch, after which an ovation greeted the appearance from via Ruggero Settimo: the square has filled more and more with the passing of minutes, offering a concrete testimony of the passion of Palermo for an exciting event that in the city was missing for twenty years.
“It is a time that anticipates our New Year, which we normally do here and that we will also do this year – says Mayor Roberto Lagalla, – We are faced with an extraordinary torch, which invites us to peace and transfers the values of sport, respect for the opponent, the quality of life lived in the fullest sense. This for Palermo must be a further wish and a spur to do better and better”.
– Photo xd8/Italpress –
(ITALPRESS).
