{"id":9448,"date":"2026-02-26T12:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=9448"},"modified":"2026-02-26T12:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:27:08","slug":"we-thought-wed-lost-him-then-the-world-saw-him-before-we-did-what-was-meant-to-be-an-ordinary-olympic-afternoon-for-the-varesco-family-turned-into-a-surreal-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=9448","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWE THOUGHT WE\u2019D LOST HIM \u2014 THEN THE WORLD SAW HIM BEFORE WE DID.\u201d What was meant to be an ordinary Olympic afternoon for the Varesco family turned into a surreal wave of panic when, sitting aboard a train en route to watch biathlon at Milano Cortina 2026, they began receiving frantic messages about their wolfdog Nazgul racing across global broadcasts. The powerful Czechoslovakian Wolfdog had managed to push open a door at their home in Tesero, slipping out in search of his owners and unknowingly finding his way toward the cross-country skiing venue, where he burst onto the course just as athletes were charging toward the finish. For spectators inside the stadium it was a moment of disbelief; for the Varescos, watching their beloved pet sprint alongside world-class competitors on live television, it was sheer terror wrapped in helplessness. As clips of Nazgul\u2019s dramatic dash spread worldwide, the family\u2019s joy at seeing him alive collided with the fear of what could have happened in a high-speed Olympic setting. By the time he was safely recovered, relief washed over them, but so did the sobering realization of how quickly a single unlocked door had turned into an international spectacle \u2014 and a wake-up call they will never forget."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Owners recount panic after wolfdog Nazgul gatecrashes sprint at Olympics<\/h1>\n

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  • Summary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
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    • Nazgul, a wolfdog, gatecrashed women\u2019s team sprint race<\/li>\n
    • Owners Enrico and Alice Varesco panicked after seeing videos<\/li>\n
    • Race officials quickly caught Nazgul, no athletes harmed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      TESERO, Italy, Feb 20 (Reuters) \u2013 When the Varesco family headed off to watch the biathlon at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday they left their two-year-old Czechoslovakian\u00a0wolfdog Nazgul\u00a0locked in his kennel at home in Tesero.<\/div>\n
      In their absence, Nazgul became the most unlikely star of the Milano Cortina Games after escaping from the house and wandering onto the nearby Olympic cross-country course before sprinting down the finishing straight alongside the skiers.<\/div>\n
      The Reuters Inside Track newsletter is your essential guide to the biggest events in global sport.\u00a0Sign up\u00a0here.<\/div>\n
      \u201cWe were on the train to Anterselva to watch the biathlon,\u201d Alice Varesco told Reuters on Friday.<\/div>\n
      \u201cWe were three hours from home when friends started sending us videos. That was the panic moment. We realised we could not do anything.\u201d<\/div>\n
      For a few surreal seconds during the qualifying races, spectators thought a wolf had wandered onto the course.<\/div>\n
      Instead, it was Nazgul, lean and silver-grey, ears pricked, locking onto the skiers ahead of him and instinctively joining the chase.<\/div>\n
      He even appeared in an official photo finish image, which was how Alice and Ernesto Varesco ultimately confirmed it was their dog.<\/div>\n
      \u201cConcern, for sure,\u201d Alice said of her first reaction. \u201cIt was with us the whole day actually. Even after they told us he was safe, we kept thinking about what could have gone wrong.\u201d<\/div>\n
      Nazgul had never previously got out of the house on his own and the Varescos think that, frustrated at being left behind, he may have nudged a lever repeatedly until it gave way before managing to get the door to the house open.<\/div>\n
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      Item 1 of 4 Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics \u2013 Nazgul the dog who gatecrashed the Nordic Combined Team Sprint, Cross-Country, Via Lago, Tesero, Italy \u2013 February 20, 2026. Nazgul the dog who gatecrashed the cross-country race pictured at his home in Tesero REUTERS\/Kai Pfaffenbach<\/div>\n
      [1\/4]<\/b>Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics \u2013 Nazgul the dog who gatecrashed the Nordic Combined Team Sprint, Cross-Country, Via Lago, Tesero, Italy \u2013 February 20, 2026. Nazgul the dog who gatecrashed the cross-country race pictured at his home in Tesero REUTERS\/Kai Pfaffenbach\u00a0Purchase Licensing\u00a0Rights<\/span>, opens new tab<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \u201cHe wanted to look for us I think because he\u2019s used \u2026 to going in that direction with us when we go for a walk,\u201d Alice said. \u201cHe likes to stay with his crew.\u201d<\/div>\n
      \"Owners<\/div>\n

      NAZGUL CAUGHT INSIDE VENUE<\/h2>\n
      Race officials reacted quickly to the incursion. The race director managed to catch Nazgul inside the venue, and family members brought him home within half an hour.<\/div>\n
      By early afternoon, the footage had travelled around the world.<\/div>\n
      \u201cEveryone was sending us videos and pictures. At a certain point we just closed the phone because it was impossible,\u201d Alice added. \u201cWe were in Anterselva with small kids and we said we need to be here and we\u2019ll look at everything later.\u201d<\/div>\n
      Security around Nazgul\u2019s kennel has been tightened to prevent any repeat for the 50-kilometre races this weekend, which the family will watch from the balcony at home with their wolfdog firmly in sight.<\/div>\n
      The Varescos are most of all relieved that Nazgul\u2019s day out did not result in any injury or serious disruption.<\/div>\n
      \u201cWe did not think this could be possible, but generally the reaction was people loved him,\u201d Alice said.<\/div>\n
      \u201cAnd it\u2019s good that nothing happened and it was going in a positive way, so everybody was happy.\u201d<\/div>\n
      Tommy Lund and Liz Hampton in Tesero; Editing by Nick Mulvenney<\/div>\n
      \"Meet<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Owners recount panic after wolfdog Nazgul gatecrashes sprint at Olympics Summary Nazgul, a wolfdog, gatecrashed women\u2019s team sprint race Owners Enrico and Alice Varesco panicked after seeing… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9450,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9448\/revisions\/9450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}