Slovak man who traveled to Winter Olympics to cheer on hockey team arrested after 16 years on lam

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A Slovakian native was in Italy this week, 16 years after prosecutors in the country issued a warrant against him.

The 44-year-old unidentified man traveled to Milan to watch his native country's Olympic hockey team take on medal favorite Finland, a 4-1 upset victory for the Slovaks.

However, he never got a chance to see the Slovaks' version of the "Miracle on Ice."

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Slovakia fans inside the arena before a match against Finland in men's ice hockey Group B during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.  (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

Police said they tracked down the suspect after he checked into a guesthouse in the Milan suburbs, then escorted him to the central San Vittore Prison before he could attend the game.

The warrant stemmed from a string of alleged thefts in 2010. He now has 11 months, seven days to serve, according to police.

Slovakia will close out the preliminary round on Saturday against Sweden, another squad that could compete for the gold medal.

Juraj Slafkovsky of Slovakia in action during a men's preliminary Group B match against Finland at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena Feb. 11, 2026, in Milan, Italy.  (RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty Images)

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Slovakia won the bronze medal in Beijing when NHL players were not yet allowed to compete. Now, the team is led by Montreal Canadiens superstar Juraj Slafkovsky, who has Olympic experience.

Slafkovsky competed in 2022 because he had not