Around 600 second and third-year middle school students will not take part in Sport in Fiera 2026. The decision, made by the teaching board of the Scuola Media (Middle School), has drawn a response from Christian Forcellini, president of the National Olympic Committee of San Marino (CONS), who also raised the issue during a session of the National Sports Commission.
Forcellini described the decision as one received “with regret and bitterness,” explaining that the CONS had sought dialogue right up until the last moment in an effort 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, he said, is the very role the event plays. For Forcellini, “Sport in Fiera is school,” since it embodies education, social interaction, 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 middle school students will take part in the event, while second and third-year pupils will remain in class. Forcellini imagined the question the excluded students might now be asking themselves: “Why not us?”
The CONS president now hopes the case will prompt reflection and help rebuild dialogue. “School and sport should not be opposing worlds, but allies in the growth of the younger generations,” Forcellini concluded, describing what has happened as a major missed opportunity.
