MILAN, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A child who was forced off a bus in the snow in northern Italy for not having the full fare will play a part in the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, his mother said.
Riccardo Z, an 11-year-old boy from a town less than 20 km (12 miles) from Cortina d’Ampezzo, did not have enough money for a bus fare surcharge introduced by the local transport company for the Olympics and had to walk six kilometres home in sub-zero, snowy weather, triggering outrage from parents and local authorities.
After the incident the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation contacted the family and offered the boy a symbolic role in the opening ceremony.
“I’ve never seen him so happy and excited,” his mother Sole Vatalano told Italian state broadcaster RAI 1. “It was the most beautiful gift they could have given him.”
The boy’s story attracted nationwide media coverage in Italy, amid concern about price gouging for the February 6-22 Games.
