Around 600 second and third-year middle school students will not take part in Sport in Fiera 2026. The decision, made by the Middle School’s teaching staff, has drawn a response from the president of the San Marino National Olympic Committee (Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Sammarinese, CONS), Christian Forcellini, who also raised the issue with the National Sports Commission.
Forcellini described the decision as being met with “disappointment and bitterness,” explaining that CONS had sought dialogue until the very last moment in an attempt to find a solution. He was careful to stress that this was not a challenge to the school’s autonomy, but he was firm about the consequences: “Leaving around 600 young people out of Sport in Fiera represents, in my view, a defeat for the entire system.”
At the heart of the matter is the very purpose of the event. According to Forcellini, “Sport in Fiera is school,” in the sense that it embodies education, socialising, respect for rules and the chance to discover new disciplines, as well as serving as a tool against sedentary habits and isolation.
Hence his criticism: “If in 2026 sport is still seen as time taken away from studying, then we have a problem, and we are taking a step backwards.”
First-year students will take part in the event, while second- and third-years will remain in school. Forcellini imagines the question the excluded students might ask themselves: “Why not us?”
The CONS president now hopes the case will prompt reflection and help rebuild dialogue. “School and sport must not be opposing worlds, but allies in the growth of new generations,” Forcellini concluded, calling what happened a great missed opportunity.
