Leave it to Italy, the birthplace of opera, to stage one of the most dramatic Olympic games in recent history. From proposals to sobbing confessions of infidelity to controversial judges’ calls, the games of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina have unfolded like an Andy Cohen/Bravo fever dream. Even a non-medal event this week has gone viral: early on Wednesday there was a preliminary qualifying round for women’s cross-country team sprint, and the Czechoslovakian skier came out of nowhere to make a scene-stealing run towards the finish. He was also a guy crashing the women’s event, and was on his own instead of racing with a team. And he’s a dog. It’s the dog part that drew the most attention. The two-year-old pup is a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, but plays for his country of residence, Italy. And that residence is a B&B that was near the track, which is how the sporting floof found himself competing on global television. NPR reported on the breaking story:
A local dog made a bid for Olympic glory Wednesday morning, breaking out of his doghouse and onto the homestretch of the cross-country ski course in the middle of a race.
Two-year-old Nazgul was quickly collared by race officials and returned unharmed to his home at a nearby bed-and-breakfast, but not before his genial presence lit up television sets and social media channels around the world — even if he perplexed some of the athletes who encountered him.
“I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?’ said Tena Hadzic, a 21-year-old Croatian skier who encountered the dog on her trip down the homestretch. “I don’t know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me.”
Race organizers did not make Nazgul available for questions after his capture.
But his owners are related to an event official, who connected them with NPR for a brief interview while they were driving to watch an Olympic biathlon race at another venue.
“He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us,” said the owner, who was granted anonymity because of the intense media scrutiny of Nazgul’s escape. “He always looks for people.”
Nazgul is a “stubborn, but very sweet” Czechoslovakian wolfdog, the owner said.
Nazgul’s saunter down the homestretch didn’t appear to have a significant impact on the cross-country team sprint: A preliminary qualifying round was unfolding at the time, and the top medal contenders had already finished.
But Hadzic, the Croatian, said her initial reaction likely did cost her “some seconds.”
“It’s not that big deal, because I’m not fighting for medals or anything big,” she said. “But if that happened in the finals, it could really cost someone the medals, or a really good result.”
Well what do you expect when you name a dog NAZGUL?? Forget his parents, he was probably out looking for Frodo and the ring! But no, he may be named for a ringraith, but this Nazgul was no villain. Watch the video! Nazgul is an utter gentleman. Sure, he’s crashing an official Olympic event he’s not registered for. But he didn’t get in any skier’s direct path, and, in a show of superb politeness, he stops on the side for just long enough to ensure that he finishes last, after the humans. Plus I don’t care if he was technically playing the wrong sport — that boy deserves a medal. Look at that sprint! Simply gorgeous. Why shouldn’t dogs be allowed to play for their countries, I ask you! They’re just as patriotic, and never get caught up in doping scandals. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a very important petition to draft for the IOC.
This local Wolfdog joined an Olympic ski event and triggered the finish-line camera. This is Nazgul. He snuck into a cross-country skiing sprint this morning and raced the homestretch with some competitors before being escorted home. 14/10 someone get him a medal pic.twitter.com/BQoerJXX9j
— WeRateDogs (@dog_rates) February 18, 2026
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