An uninvited guest stole the show Wednesday during qualifying for the women’s cross-country team sprint at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
A large dog ran onto the track while the heats were in progress, running alongside athletes as they crossed the finish line.
The incident did not disrupt the competition, and the dog was cheered on by spectators. It later wandered to the finish area, approaching skiers as they completed their runs.
DOG ON THE COURSE AT OLYMPIC SKIING. 🚨
The late entry closes strong at the cross country finish line! pic.twitter.com/o4mO28tXXW
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 18, 2026
The dog later was identified as a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, according to multiple reports.
The dog, named “Nazghul” in reference to the “Lord of the Rings” films, had been taken for a walk by its owner, who lives locally before it escaped into the race course.
“I became famous with a dog that came across the finish line, and everyone wants to interview me now,” Greece’s Konstantina Charalampidou said.
“He was chasing the camera that goes up and down the finish line. He was cute but not aggressive. I wanted to pet him, but I didn’t have the time and I couldn’t find him afterwards.”
Venue officials initially thought the incident resulted from a violation of the venue’s strict no‑pets policy for spectators.
Croatian skier Tena Hadzic told NPR that she was surprised by her encounter with the dog.
“I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?'” Hadzic said. “I don’t know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me.”
The dog’s owner, however, told NPR that Nazghul is a “stubborn, but very sweet” animal.
“He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us,” the owner told NPR. “He always looks for people.”
The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report.
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