U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, received the Winter Olympic Flame from Stefanos Chandakas, Secretary General of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and a 1996 Atlanta Olympic sailor, in a ceremony held in front of the Acropolis Museum on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street just after 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 4.
Dressed in a torchbearer uniform, Ambassador Guilfoyle then passed the flame to Josh Hack, the second-ranking officer at the U.S. Embassy, who in turn handed it to Christos Marafatsos, co-chair of the Greeks for Trump movement.
The Olympic Flame is set to be delivered to the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee, today, continuing its journey to Italy ahead of the Winter Games’ opening ceremony on February 6, 2026.
The flame’s journey began on Wednesday, November 26, with the first torchbearer, Petros Gkaidatzis, departing alongside the second torchbearer, Stefania Belmondo.
The lighting ceremony took place at the Archaeological Museum before the iconic statue of Nike by Paionios, adding grandeur to the event and highlighting the enduring legacy of the Olympic Games, which began in Greece and continue to captivate the world thousands of years later.
Over nine days, the flame covered 2,200 kilometers, passing through 23 prefectures and 7 regions, with 36 reception ceremonies across the country. Today, it will be handed over at the Panathenaic Stadium to the delegation of the 2026 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, marking its departure for Italy.
