A Slovakian man, who had managed to elude Italian authorities for 16 years, was apprehended upon his return to cheer on his nation’s ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics. The 44-year-old, whose identity remains undisclosed, was stopped by police before reaching the arena as there had been an outstanding arrest warrant issued against him as far back as 2010.
The warrant was related to a string of shoplifting incidents he allegedly committed, and now he faces serving a sentence of 11 months and seven days. Despite being on the wanted list, he was located by Carabinieri police after checking into a guesthouse on the outskirts of Milan.
The man’s intention was to attend the ice hockey event at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, but he was intercepted and taken into custody. Meanwhile, Slovakia’s men’s team achieved a surprising victory over Finland with a score of 4-1 in their Olympic debut, further complicating the situation for the fugitive. Upcoming matches for Slovakia include facing Italy on Friday and Sweden on Saturday to conclude the preliminary round.
Having secured a bronze medal in Beijing four years ago when NHL players were barred, Slovakia has now made a return to the Winter Games after their last appearance in Sochi 2014. Amidst the ongoing Milano Cortina 2026 events, there have been notable incidents such as Lindsey Vonn’s unfortunate crash resulting in a leg injury and Jutta Leerdam’s emotional upgrade from a silver to a gold medal in speed skating.
Team GB is still awaiting their first medal despite coming close in several events, with hopes now resting on skeleton world champion Matt Weston’s pursuit of gold in the upcoming final. The Winter Olympic Games at Milano Cortina 2026 are scheduled from February 6-22, offering fans over 850 hours of live action on discovery+ via Prime Video. With a £3.99 discovery+ Entertainment subscription during the games, viewers can access TNT Sports 2 for continuous Olympic coverage.