A cross-country skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy was marked by the appearance of a very unexpected competitor on Wednesday, 18th February 2026.
Just as the skiers in the women's team sprint freestyle qualifiers were nearing the finish line, a wolfdog suddenly appeared on the track. It sprinted alongside them, much to the surprise and amusement of the athletes, spectators, and commentators alike.
A sprint to the finish line
The animal, who was wearing a collar, joined the race just a few dozen yards from the end. It seemed to be drawn to a tracking camera moving along the piste, first chasing the equipment before veering towards two of the competitors, Tena Hadzic of Croatia and Konstantina Charalampidou of Greece. The dog then crossed the finish line right behind them.
A safe and happy ending
Fortunately, the incident didn't disrupt the competition, and the athletes completed their race without any issues. Organisers managed to secure the animal moments after the race finished and returned him to his owner, who had briefly been away.
