This dog caused a curious scene during the cross-country skiing qualifier on Wednesday morning.

VIDEO | Dog on the home stretch: Curious scenes at the Olympics

He wasn't on the starting list: A dog caused some curious scenes at the Olympic cross-country skiing stadium.

February 18, 2026

From: sn/dpa

During the qualifying round of the team sprint, the animal suddenly appeared on the finishing straight in Tesero. The dog chased the Argentinian Nahiara Díaz and the Croatian Tena Hadzic all the way past the finish line.

When Díaz stopped, the dog also stopped and sniffed the athlete. The top athletes from the first starting group had already crossed the finish line by that time.

Just minutes after the dog's appearance in Tesero, the first memes were already circulating online, showing the animal with, among other things, an Olympic gold medal. Even the International Ski Federation (FIS) couldn't resist posting a tongue-in-cheek comment.