A man from Slovakia, who had been on the run from Italian authorities for 16 years, was apprehended upon his return to the country to support his nation at the Winter Olympics. The 44-year-old, whose identity has not been disclosed, was arrested by the police even before reaching the venue. He had been wanted since 2010 for a series of thefts.
The Carabinieri police confirmed that the man will serve a sentence of 11 months and seven days. His location was traced to a guesthouse in the outskirts of Milan. Despite being a fugitive, he chose to return to Italy. The Winter Games’ ice hockey events are split between the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the Rho Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, with the man planning to attend the former.
However, he was intercepted and taken into custody before he could attend the event. He was subsequently taken to the central San Vittore Prison. Meanwhile, Slovakia’s men’s ice hockey team achieved a surprising victory over Finland with a score of 4-1. Their upcoming matches include facing Italy on Friday and Sweden on Saturday.
Slovakia had won a bronze medal in Beijing four years ago when NHL players were not participating, marking their return since the Sochi 2014 Games. The ongoing Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics have witnessed notable events, including Lindsey Vonn’s accident resulting in a broken leg while attempting to race without an ACL.
Jutta Leerdam, the fiancée of Jake Paul, upgraded her silver medal from Beijing to gold in the 1000m speed skating competition. Team GB is still awaiting their first medal after some close calls, with high hopes resting on skeleton world champion Matt Weston’s pursuit of gold in the upcoming final on Friday evening.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are scheduled from February 6-22, offering over 850 hours of live action on discovery+ via Prime Video. The £3.99 discovery+ Entertainment subscription allows access to TNT Sports 2 for continuous Olympic coverage throughout the games.
