Cross-country skiing: Simon Sancet, a San Marino native in the running for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
In February 2026, a cross-country skier from the Serenissima Republic of San Marino could take part in the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games on the slopes of Val di Fiemme (Italy). This cross-country skier is Simon Sancet from Doubien. With dual nationality via his maternal lineage (his San Marino grandfather emigrated to Normandy in the last century), he hasset himselfthe challenge of qualifying for the Olympic competition.
“The San Marino Ski Federation [FSSI, editor’s note] already has alpine skiers who train on synthetic tracks. It didn’t have any cross-country skiers and, for a number of years, it had been looking to develop cross-country skiing via wheel-skiing”, he explains to Nordic Magazine. That’s how contact was made just over a year ago with Gian Luca Gatti, President of the FSSI.
“They very quickly suggested that I set up a project with the dual aim of going to the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games and developing ski touring in San Marino, explains Simon Sancet. I took out an FIS licence for San Marino last year, but I wasn’t really able to race with it [apart from the Toblach-Cortina and Vasaloppet, editor’s note]. So I really got into it this summer.”
Frédéric Jean’s programme
Supported in his adventure by his good friend Frédéric Jean, who is in charge of his training programme, the Franc-Comtois from Chapelle-des-Bois (Doubs) has trained at home and at the CNSNMM des Tuffes in Prémanon (Jura), with whom he has an agreement.
“I have to juggle between my wife Charlotte, whom I’d like to thank for supporting me in this crazy project, my two children, my work and training, he says. I work in metrology, for FOX Metrology, and I’m lucky to have a boss who supports me in my project. When I need to go shopping or on training courses, he frees me up.”
Simon Sancet also had to approach the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI), an important step for San Marino’s management. “So I went on a three-day course with the Italian team in San Marino in May. Emmanuele Sbabo and Marco Sala, the Italian coaches, looked after me as if I were one of their athletes, he says. In particular, we skied up San Marino and did some physical tests.”
After that, the Franco-Saint-Marinese took part in FIS races in Veroia (Greece) at the end of August and the beginning of September, followed by the Rollerski World Championships in Ziano di Fiemme (Italy). These are essential stages on the road to the Trondheim 2025 World Cross-Country Ski Championships, where, at the age of almost 40, he will be trying to validate his ticket for the next Olympics.
His Olympic qualification will be decided… at the Trondheim World Championships
“You have to validate a minimum of five races and that’s why I went to these wheel-ski races, he notes. I still have one more race to validate to be sure of going to the Worlds, but that will be done barring a catastrophe.” So, accompanied by Salomé Letoublon for the waxing, he will be taking part in the Swiss Cup in Goms (Switzerland) at the end of November and then the French Cup in Arvieux (Hautes-Alpes) in mid-December.
At the beginning of January, he will perform at a weekend organised by the FSSI near Turin (Italy). After that, it will be time to prepare for the world championships qualifying race, an individual 7.5km classic scheduled for 26 February.
“For the Olympics, as San Marino doesn’t have a quota, I need to score less than 300 FIS points in this competition, reveals Simon Sancet. If there aren’t any major setbacks, I think I can get through, but you can’t afford to miss out. In any case, the ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2026 Olympic Games.”
Supported by several people
To achieve his ambitious goal, the Doubien has the full support of his federation. “They’re doing everything they can to do their very best,” says Simon Sancet, who trains five or six times a week.
For the record, cross-country skiing wasn’t a competitive sport for him in his youth… since he was at the handball hopeful centre before graduating in swimming. “It’s a real challenge because it’s not my basic sport, he says. That makes it all the more fun.”
Also supported by Fischer and followed by David Rolet, a former bobsledder from Champagnole (Jura), Simon Sancet is the first cross-country skier in the history of San Marino.
With the desire and the firm intention of representing his country, situated on a rocky spur at an altitude of almost 700 metres, in the most prestigious international competitions.
- “We realised we were in for a unique adventure”: stuck in his car at the start, Simon Sancet recounts his Vasaloppet from behind
- Fred Jean and Simon Sancet win their bet
