Every Olympic Games has a torch. Every torch has a designer. For the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, that designer is MIT engineer and architect Carlo Ratti .

Davidson College Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics Allison Smith examines the "distant echoes" of the original Olympic Games and how they compare to the modern global competition. The discussion explores the evolution of the games from a sacred religious sanctuary at Olympia to today's "moving circus" of international host cities.

Kirsty Coventry, the multi-Olympic swimming champion who last year became the first woman to lead the International Olympic Committee, addressed the General Assembly at the latest vote in November. Watching peaceful competition, she said, inspired her to begin her gold-medal journey as a young girl in Zimbabwe.

Americans who top the podium at the Milan Cortina Games will be in line for a $37,500 bonus. Their competitors could collect as much as $800,000.

Here is the order in which countries will march out for the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

What are Olympic medals made of? The answer varies depending on the time period of the Olympics you look into. (AP Photo)

The 2026 Winter Olympics open Friday with a multi-city ceremony unfolding amid elevated security and diplomatic tension.