MILAN, Feb 4 : Italian Olympic ski champions Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni will have the honour of lighting the cauldrons for the Milano Cortina Games, Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Wednesday.
Tomba, 59, and Compagnoni, who is 55, are both triple Olympic gold medallists and among the most popular Italian athletes of their generation.
Tomba has been tasked with lighting the cauldron at Milan’s Arco della Pace at the culmination of Friday’s opening ceremony at the nearby San Siro soccer stadium, the report said.
Compagnoni will do the honours at a second cauldron in Piazza Dibona in co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.
Asked about the Gazzetta report, the Italian Olympic Committee said a decision on who will light the cauldrons would be taken at the last minute.
Known for his aggressive skiing style, Tomba won two Olympic golds in Calgary in 1988 and another in Albertville in 1992.
Compagnoni won her first gold in Albertville in 1992 and further titles in Lillehammer in 1994 and Nagano four years later.
