ROME, Feb 3 — An 11-year-old left stranded in the snow after failing to pay a bus ticket inflated for Italy’s Winter Olympics will take part in Friday’s opening ceremony, a spokesman said.

Riccardo had boarded the bus home from school last week in the Cortina d’Ampezzo region with a €2.50 (RM12) ticket, the usual fare.

But the operating company had raised the fare to €10 ahead of the February 6-22 Milan-Cortina Games, and he had to get off.

The story made headlines in Italy and beyond and the bus driver apologised, saying he made a “serious mistake”.

The Games organising committee has offered Riccardo a role in Friday’s opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium to try to make it up to him.

“He will play a symbolic role during the opening ceremony,” a spokesperson confirmed to AFP, while noting that the role still needed to be defined.

Local authorities also said they would start offering discounts on bus prices for poorer local residents. — AFP