“Heated Rivalry” stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie carried the Olympic torch Sunday in Feltre, Italy, as part of the Milano Cortina 2026 relay.
Dressed in pink-and-white tracksuits, the two are seen in videos popping up on social media showing the duo holding the torch, smiling and waving to the crowds. At one point, they held each other’s hands over their heads.
It was announced on Thursday that the actors had been selected as official torchbearers during the relay, which will conclude on Feb. 6 in Milan ahead of the opening ceremony. A date and location of their participation had not been announced ahead of time.
“Heated Rivalry,” based on Rachel Reid’s queer hockey romance novel series Game Changer, became an overnight hit when HBO Max dropped the first two episodes of its six-part premiere season over Thanksgiving weekend.
Hudson and Williams star as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, professional hockey players who fall in love after carrying on a steamy decade-long secret affair.
Storrie and Williams have become global celebrities. They made their awards ceremony debut as presenters at the Golden Globes in early January. Not long after, Hudson jetted to Milan for Men’s Fashion Week, walking in the Dsquared2 show and attending the Giorgio Armani runway presentation.
HBO Max acquired the show from Canadian streamer Crave. Both greenlit Season 2 in December.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be available to stream on HBO Max in Europe, including in Italy and Germany for the first time as part of the streamer’s expansion. In the U.S., the Olympics will be broadcast on NBC and streamed live on Peacock.