Romanian coach Cristian Chivu to carry torch for Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games

Romanian Cristian Chivu, the coach of the football team Inter Milan, will carry the Olympic torch before the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The announcement came before the match that Inter won 6–2 against Pisa on Friday, January 23. The match took place at San Siro, the stadium that will host the opening ceremony of the 2026 Olympic Games.

“My back hurts a little,” Chivu joked in a statement for the DAZN channel, cited by Agerpres. “But I am honored to be part of this event; it is a beautiful and important thing to represent the Olympic spirit. It gives me pleasure, hoping that this back pain will pass,” the former Romanian international also said.

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games will take place between February 6 and 22, and Romania will be represented by 29 athletes in eight sports disciplines.

Chivu retired from professional football in 2014 but returned to Inter four years later to begin his coaching career within the club’s youth sector. He worked with the U14, U17, and U18 squads before taking charge of the Primavera team in 2021. In his debut season, he led them to their tenth youth Scudetto.

Chivu became Inter’s coach in June 2025, marking a new chapter in his long-standing relationship with the club. The 43-year-old Romanian has a contract until June 30, 2027.

Inter’s Javier Zanetti, the club’s vice president and a legend of the club, will be another bearer of the Olympic torch.

(Photo source: Inter on Facebook)