This 89-year-old ‘King of the Volunteers’ starred in the Olympics closing ceremony

VERONA, Italy (AP) — When Mario Gargiulo traveled to the 1956 Cortina Winter Games, his first trip to northern Italy from his hometown of Naples, the 20-year-old never imagined he'd return to the Olympics.

But he has, 70 years later, this time as the so-called “King of the Volunteers.” He was among the first of 18,000 volunteers to sign up and, on Sunday in Verona, the 89-year-old took the stage of the Olympics closing ceremony with a starring role: the Games' oldest volunteer.

“To be part of it is incredible,” he told The Associated Press on Sunday morning, hours before the ceremony at the ancient Roman Arena that's a short walk from his home. “I’ll wake up tomorrow and I’ll be wondering what happened to me.”

“It's beyond imagination,” he said.

For his first appearance on Sunday evening, he joined the warm-up presenters to talk about his time in Cortina in 1956.

“Cortina in 1956 was a mountain village," he told the crowd as it trickled in 30 minutes before the show started. “Now the Games are spread out in Bormio, Milan and other places. But the spirit has not changed, there is the same sporting enthusiasm."

Later in the ceremony, his special role brought him to center stage as other volunteers — just a fraction of the 18,000 who served in these Games — danced to form the numbers “26.” He knelt down and took off his teal uniform hat in tribute, bowing to the cheering crowd.

When Gargiulo turned up for the first meeting of volunteers in Verona, he stood out.

“They were all 20, 25 years old, girls and boys, and they were looking at me sort of strange,” he said, laughing.

But the widowed father of three and grandfather of seven who has led a globe-trotting life embodies the Olympic spirit.

His 1956 train ride to Cortina d'Ampezzo was his first journey north of Rome.

“I went to Cortina out of a sudden desire to do something out of the ordinary. Nobody wanted to come with me so I, fascinated by this new thing everybody was talking about, went alone,” he said.

Only able to afford a room without heat during the Winter Games, he went to sleep wearing every layer of clothing he'd brought.

The village known as "Queen of the Dolomites" today is a luxury resort replete with high-end boutiques, in part due to the spotlight brought by the 1956 Olympics. At the time, it was small, quiet and little known beyond Italy's upper crust. Gargiulo relished the chance to watch figure skating and speedskating.

“I was astounded because seeing all these flags, people of different countries,” he said. “Sport is a common tie for everybody. And after awhile, even if you don't know anything about the sport you're watching, the competition, you become a fan.”

He enjoyed the Cortina so much that, after he married an American woman, they honeymooned there.

He later enlisted in the U.S. Army and, after his promotion to captain, became a citizen. Over the course of his 27-year military career, his language skills led him to serve across the U.S. as well as in Korea, Vietnam, Germany and Russia before retiring in 1994 as a lieutenant colonel.

But he was disappointed when his 2026 marching orders came through: he wouldn't be traveling from Verona to Cortina, not even to Milan. He wrote a letter to organizers, urging them to reconsider.

“They said, ‘We have a different plan for you,’” he said. “Then it turned out really it was something exceptional.”

This month, he followed Italian Alpine skier Federica Brignone ’s super-G victory, just 10 months after she broke multiple bones in her left leg, as well as speedskating and freestyle skiing.

But on Sunday night, he was the one in the spotlight.

“My pace, my tempo, has slowed down a bit,” he told the AP beforehand. “But my heartbeat is still the same.”

Associated Press writers Colleen Barry, Annie Risemberg and Maria Grazia Murru contributed to this report.

AP Winter Olympics coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Olympic volunteers during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Verona, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Olympic volunteer Mario Gargiulo, 89, poses for a portrait, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Verona, Italy. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)

Olympic volunteer Mario Gargiulo, 89, poses for a portrait, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Verona, Italy. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An Albany woman who authorities said had been plotting to bomb the New York state Capitol building in an effort to kill lawmakers because she believed laws were being passed that were an affront to Islam is facing a federal terrorism charge.

Authorities said Thursday that Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, had been under surveillance for more than a month as she communicated with at least one confidential informant posing as an ISIS facilitator. Investigators said they foiled the attack just weeks away from the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

No attorney information was listed for Bowie, who was arrested Wednesday, and a phone call to the Federal Public Defenders' office in Albany on Thursday was not immediately returned.

“The allegations in this complaint are deeply disturbing,” said John Sarcone, first assistant US attorney for the Northern District of New York. “That’s an attack on democracy itself and one we will not tolerate.”

Court documents said Bowie had converted to Islam about five years ago. The affidavit of probable cause said FBI counterterrorism agents saw a number of online accounts linked back to Bowie in which she had expressed support for terrorism in posts starting around May.

Agents began monitoring those accounts and became aware starting around July 16 that Bowie wanted to carry out an attack on the state Capitol. She asked for lessons from at least one confidential informant on how to build an explosive device, made at least five trips to the Capitol grounds to plan where it might be most effective to set off an explosive, and scoped out security measures all while in contact with multiple informants, authorities said.

Pictures of Bowie conducting reconnaissance at the Capitol and buying a list of bomb-making ingredients at a hardware store — including long nails for shrapnel — were included in the affidavit. She also arranged to buy a firearm and ammunition in order to fire the weapon at police or security if needed, authorities said.

“Ms. Bowie did not just plan to kill lawmakers, she wanted a complete disruption of our government,” said Craig L. Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the FBI's Albany Field Office.

Tremaroli said she planned to flee the country after the attack, but said she would be willing to return to launch more attacks on the White House or on Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

The affidavit also noted Bowie had considered making Albany City Hall a target, but had settled on the Capitol and specifically targeted state senators because they make laws that she considered to be offensive to Islam. It's unclear when she hoped to carry out the attack, given the legislature has been out of session since June.

Gov. Kathy Hochul's office released a statement Thursday, saying the state had taken steps earlier this year to strengthen security across state government, including at the Capitol, amid a rise nationally in political violence and threats against public officials.

“While there is no immediate threat at this time, we will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to protect New Yorkers and keep our communities safe,” she wrote in the statement.

FILE - The New York State Capitol building is seen in Albany, New York, June 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)