Photo: FIS/Djokovic
The Johan Eliasch chapter has closed. Widely contested in recent weeks, the outgoing president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) was defeated in the election held this Thursday. His challenger, Alexander Ospelt, secured a narrow majority of votes at the Congress in Belgrade. The vote was extremely close, with Ospelt winning by… just one vote more than his opponent (65 to 64). Johan Eliasch even hinted that the IOC had “ attempted to influence the outcome of the vote Bitter, he nevertheless congratulated the winner.
65 to 64
« I want to thank all the delegatesOspelt said at the press conference that followed. As the result shows, we are still divided. My task will be to unify, to bring back joy, and to bring the FIS together.He acknowledged that it was a challenge ", but he seemed rather confident." It's a new beginning " he stressed, emphasizing his desire to to give each national association the feeling that it matters as much as the others ».
A member of the FIS council since 2024, Ospelt emphasized during the campaign his desire to " Building bridges: with small and large associations, with athletes, industry, sponsors, the media, and fans. The FIS, as I envision it, is open and transparent. I come from a small skiing nation (Liechtenstein) and I act independently of the agendas of the larger federations or the alliances in place to promote particular interests. Only a united FIS can remain the credible representative of the interests of our sports."
He wants to give more weight to the athletes' voices, improve safety, and better support them in preparing for their career transition. He also stated that the FIS needs to modernize its commercial approach, be a model of sustainability, and be " open to change "to remain a benchmark."
The sixth president in FIS history, after Ivar Holmquist, Nicolai Ramm Østgård, Marc Hodler, Gian-Franco Kasper, and Johan Eliasch, proposed revising the calendar and holding the World Championships every year (outside the Olympic season) to increase media coverage and better exploit commercial potential. He would also like to see more competitions in urban environments to… bringing the stars closer to the public ».
