CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — An 11-year-old boy who was left stranded in the snow after a local bus fare was hiked ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will take part in Friday’s opening ceremony in a symbolic role, a spokesperson said.
The boy, identified as Riccardo, boarded a bus home from school last week in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area with a 2.50-euro ticket, the usual fare. But the operating company had raised the cost to 10 euros ahead of the Games, which run from Feb. 6-22, and he was told to get off when he could not pay the difference.
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His experience, reported widely in Italian and international media, triggered an outcry. The bus driver later apologized, saying he had made a “serious mistake.”
“He will play a symbolic role during the opening ceremony,” a spokesperson confirmed, adding that the specifics of the role were still being finalized.
Local authorities said they would begin offering discounts on bus prices for poorer residents, a gesture that followed the episode and the scrutiny over increased costs tied to the Olympics. Details of the discount plan were not immediately released.
The fare increase underscores the pressures that can accompany major events, as communities brace for an influx of visitors and temporary changes to everyday services. In this case, the adjustment drew attention not only for its size but for who was affected — a schoolchild caught out in winter conditions on his way home.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is among the host areas for the Milan-Cortina Games, which are scheduled from Feb. 6-22. The opening ceremony is set for Friday.
Riccardo’s participation is intended to be a gesture of inclusion after a week in which his story became a flashpoint far beyond the Dolomites, focusing attention on how Olympic preparations reverberate through local life and public services.
Further information about his role at the ceremony and the scope of the new fare discounts was not immediately available.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
