Dog Crashes the 2026 Winter Olympics Cross-Country Race and Sprints to the Finish Line

When a dog crashes the Winter Olympics, nobody can be mad. The pup thought he’d join in on a cross-country ski race with a sprint of his own. The moment lightened up the intense race.

Dog Crashes Winter Olympics

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The dog appeared on the course of the women's cross-country team sprint qualifying race right as members of Team Croatia and Team Australia crossed the finish line.

The dog, which was wearing a collar, looked at the cameras before chasing after the skiers.

"Anybody lost their dog?" the on-course announcers joked. “It's a fairly nice mutt there, not hindering anybody's progress. One of those moments you have to laugh about."

"But you know, better it happened now than during the group sprints, let's put it that way," they added.

Dog Gets Some Belly Rubs—and His Own Professional Photo

The dog then sniffed the skier's before heading over to the post-finish area. There, he got some pets from Olympic volunteers. 

Omega, the official timing sponsor of this year’s Winter Games, gave the dog its own professional finish-line photo, which was automatically recorded by OMEGA’s Scan’O’Vision ULTIMATE photofinish camera. 

Before the dog got to the finish line, Team Sweden had already crossed over and won the race. Switzerland won second place, and Germany won third.

The dog is a two-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul, who lives at a nearby bed-and-breakfast. 

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Concern Set In for Some, But It’ll Be a Moment to Remember

While it was a moment of levity for some, the wolfdog had others concerned. 

"I was like, 'Am I hallucinating?" said Tena Hadzic, a 21-year-old from Team Croatia. "I don't know what I should do, because maybe he could attack me, bite me."

"He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving — and I think he just wanted to follow us," one of the dog’s owners said. "He always looks for people."

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His other owner said, "We were on the train to Anterselva to watch the biathlon. We were three hours from home when friends started sending us videos. That was the panic moment.”

"He wanted to look for us I think because he's used... to going in that direction with us when we go for a walk," she said. "He likes to stay with his crew."

Nazgul’s appearance has now earned him worldwide fame. Anyone who was watching the race that day will remember him for years to come!

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h/t: People

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/sportbible

Michaela Gordoni is an avid reader and part-time globe-trotter. With a bachelor's degree in International Relations and experience in the non-profit world, she has a passion for people and reporting. You can check out her portfolio here.