Milan: Two weeks before the Philippines' two athletes plunge into action in the 25th Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina in Italy, a Filipino from the corporate world already stood tall as Raymond Li was selected as one of the Olympic torch bearers. Li, regional general manager of Uber for Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe, proudly carried the torch during the Morbegno leg of the relay on Feb. 1.

According to Philippines News Agency, the leg's exchange of the torch, participated in by 24 bearers, including Li, in Morbegno, a town in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy, was attended and cheered by local officials, Alpine troops, local groups, and thousands of residents. The Philippine Consulate General of Milan, headed by Consul General Jim Tito San Agustin, congratulated Li for representing a good image of the Philippines in the Winter Olympic Games.

The Olympic flame journey started from Olympia, Greece on Nov. 26, 2025, joined by over 10,000 torch bearers, and has traversed more than 12,000 kilometers across Italy. It passed through all Italy's 110 provinces and iconic regions, including Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany, Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Piemonte, Valle d'Aosta Lombardia, Veneto, and even the islands of Sardegna and Sicilia.

The torch has been lit to officially begin the 25th Winter Olympics on Feb. 7. The quadrennial meet drew over 3,500 athletes from 93 countries, including the Philippines. Young Filipino Alpine skiers Francis Ceccarelli, 22, and Tallulah Proulx, 17, are carrying the load for the Philippines, which first competed in the Winter Olympics in 1972 in Sapporo, Japan. Ceccarelli and Proulx will compete in the men's and women's alpine skiing (giant slalom and slalom) on Feb. 14 and 15, respectively. The Philippines has yet to win a medal in the Winter Olympics.