Olympic flame-lighting ceremony in photos

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ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece (AP) — The Olympic flame began its journey Wednesday to the Milan Cortina Winter Games — missing a little of its usual magic. Bad weather lashing western Greece forced organizers to move the torch-lighting ceremony indoors, from Olympia’s ancient stadium and temples to a nearby museum.

The flame is normally lit by focusing the sun’s rays with a concave mirror. But with skies overcast, officials used a backup flame kindled during a brief spell of sunshine at Monday’s rehearsal.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics