Three acts of sabotage disrupt trains on first day of Italian Olympics

On the first day of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, train traffic was disrupted due to three acts of sabotage.

According to DW, perpetrators set fire to a distribution panel near Pesaro, cut a train speed-measuring cable in Bologna, and planted a rudimentary explosive device on the line between Bologna and Padua.

As a result of the incidents, high-speed and regional trains experienced delays of up to two and a half hours, and Bologna station was temporarily closed. The state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) ruled out technical causes, describing the events as acts of sabotage.

The investigation involves the police’s counter-terrorism unit. Italy’s Ministry of Transport described the situation as a “serious case of sabotage.” Train services gradually returned to normal in the second half of February 7.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially Milano Cortina 2026, opened on February 6 in northern Italy, co-hosted by Milan (ice events like figure skating and hockey at venues including San Siro Stadium and PalaSharp) and Cortina d'Ampezzo (mountain events in the Dolomites, previously hosting in 1956), with additional sites in Val di Fiemme, Livigno, and Verona. This marks Italy's fourth Olympics overall and third Winter Games (after Turin 2006).

The event runs until February 22.

By Khagan Isayev