11-year-old boy is blocked from a more expensive bus because of the Olympics and walks 6 km in the snow on his way home from school

The story of an 11-year-old boy forced to walk six kilometers in the snow after being unable to pay the bus ticket, which was adjusted due to the Winter Olympics, caused a stir in Italy. The case occurred in the Cortina d’Ampezzo region, in the north of the country. Riccardo tried to catch the bus to return home from school last week, but he only had 2.50 euros (R$15.50), the usual cost for the journey. During the Winter Olympic Games, the transport company raised the ticket price to 10 euros (R$62). Unable to board, the boy walked home through the snow. The repercussion of the case led the bus driver, who denied the boy boarding, to seek out the family to apologize. “It breaks my heart. Now, reflecting, I realize that I made a mistake. I ask for forgiveness from the boy and his family,” said Salvatore Russotto, 61, according to the Italian press. Given the reactions, the Games organizing committee decided to invite Riccardo to participate in the event’s opening ceremony. “He will play a symbolic role, yet to be defined,” a spokesperson for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games told AFP.

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