Fugitive wanted for 16 years busted at Olympics trying to watch hockey

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Feb 12, 2026

Published in Olympics

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A Slovak fugitive on the run for 16 years was arrested at the Winter Olympics in Milan while hoping to watch the Slovakia men’s hockey team.

The suspect, identified only as a 44-year-old man, was detained Wednesday night before Slovakia’s first game, according to a Reuters report published Thursday.

Italian police said the man was wanted for a string of shop thefts he committed in the country back in 2010. He was nabbed after checking into a guesthouse outside Milan in the days before Slovakia’s first game.

Apparently convicted in absentia, the man must serve nearly one year in prison for the thefts, Italian police told Reuters.

The 2026 Winter Olympics mark the first time NHL players have competed in the men’s hockey tournament since 2014 in Sochi. In that tournament, Slovakia lost all four games it played on its way to a humiliating exit.

But this year, the Slovaks shocked Finland with a 4-1 upset, led by Montreal Canadiens star Juraj Slafkovsky’s two goals. The fugitive man, however, was detained before the rousing Slovakia victory on Wednesday and didn’t get to see it.