Fides Romanin

Fides Romanin was born in Northern Italy. She was a cross-country skier and the first Italian woman flagbearer at the Olympics. She began her career at the beginning of 1950s when, due to the failure of a sports field in her small town and a large snowfall, she took up skiing. She joined the Sci Cai Monte Coglians from 1950 to 1959 and was powerful, specializing in the 5 or the 10 kilometres.

At the Oslo Olympics Romanin was the youngest (barely 17 years 3 months old at the time) and the tallest member of the team and, on the morning of the opening ceremony, Colonel Fabris (a member of the Italian delegation) told her that the CONI’s president, Giulio Onesti, had chosen her for the role of flagbearer, the first Italian woman to be so honored and third from any country, after British skater Mollie Phillips (Lake Placid 1932) and Mexican fencer Eugenia Escudero (Los Angeles 1932). Romanin preceded Miranda Cicognani, Italy’s flagbearer at the Helsinki Olympics, by a few months.

Romanin took part in only the 10 km at the 1952 Winter Olympics, while four years later she again took part in the 10 km, as well as the 3x5 km relay. At the 1954 Falun World Championships she was 39th in the 10 km and 6th in the relay. Domestically she won two titles in the relay (1954-55), adding five second places and three third places. Her first skis, trousers, raw wool sweaters, some bibs, and surviving cups were to be donated to the Ski Museum of Forni Avoltri.