Franco-Moroccan Biathlete Chases Olympic Dream: From Alps to Italy 2026

Born in Reims in the Marne, Paul Mehdi Benhayoun settled in the Alps for his studies. There he discovered cross-country skiing, a discipline he has been practicing for a few years. The 32-year-old man is now training to participate, under the colors of Morocco, in the Olympic biathlon events, in February 2026 in Italy. "My father was a footballer. He was born in Fez, Morocco and came to France around 18-19 years old. He notably played in Reims. That’s where he met my mother. I grew up in Bezannes, just next door. I did all my studies in Reims before taking the competitive exams for business schools. That’s how I discovered the mountains," he confides to Parisien.

Paul Mehdi Benhayoun joins Chambéry (Savoie) to continue his studies at the Institut des hautes études économiques et commerciales (INSEEC). "I went there because they had sports and event management as a specialty. I already had sports in my belly but not the one I thought!" says the one who participated in tennis competitions during his youth. At the time, he had not yet discovered skiing. "At the end of my training, my first job was at the Chamonix sports club (Haute-Savoie). In my free time, I did alpine skiing, ski touring or trail running. I didn’t have any serious goals in sports."

Then, he finally adopted cross-country skiing. "I was in good physical condition. I was convinced I was going to fly. After half an hour, I realized it was a crazy sport..." he says. The release in 2016 of the film "Good Luck Algeria", which tells the true story of Nourredine Maurice Bentoumi, born in Chamonix in 1972 and who participated in two Cross-Country Skiing World Championships in 2005 and 2009 and the Turin 2006 Olympic Games under the colors of Algeria, was a trigger for the young Franco-Moroccan. "I watched the movie, closed my computer and told myself that’s what I wanted to do: represent Morocco at the Olympic Games... If others can do it, why not me?"

From cross-country skiing, Paul Mehdi Benhayoun turns to biathlon, a mix of cross-country skiing and shooting. "One of my friends pointed out to me that there had already been African athletes in cross-country skiing at the Olympics, but not in biathlon. He encouraged me to try this sport. He was convinced that I would like it and that I would really make history in biathlon for Morocco and Africa," he explains. This is how the Franco-Moroccan approached the Royal Moroccan Ski and Mountain Sports Federation, affiliated with the International Biathlon Union (IBU). "I met the president a little over a year ago to present my project..." says the biathlete who is training hard to take up this challenge.

Paul Mehdi Benhayoun remains convinced that he can qualify for the 2026 Milan Games where only ten places are reserved for "small countries" in biathlon. "I was hiding behind the fact that I was facing athletes who had been doing this for 15 years and that I had only been practicing for 2 years. I turned the situation around and asked myself what my strengths were..." To make his Olympic dream come true, the young man has surrounded himself with a high-performing staff. "Deep down, I know I’m going to succeed in qualifying for the Games this winter. But I had to give myself the means for this ambition and be entirely focused on it," declares the Franco-Moroccan, aware that the task will not be easy.