The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) congress is approaching. It will take place June 10 and 11 in BelgradeThe FIS has published the full list of candidates for the position of president and for seats on the Council. Five individuals are vying for the top job. Johan Eliasch, the outgoing president, is a candidate for a second term. The FIS list reveals a surprising piece of information: the country he is associated with is neither Great Britain nor Sweden, but… Georgia.
Johan Eliasch holds both a British and a Swedish passport, but neither national federation in either country endorsed him for the election. This obstacle to his candidacy was apparently overcome by the FIS president, who obtained Georgian nationality as well as the support of the national federation. The possibility of a rapprochement with Armenia had also been circulating in recent days.
Johan Eliasch will face four opponents Anna Harboe Falkenberg (Denmark), Victoria Gosling (Great Britain), Alexander Ospelt (Liechtenstein), and Dexter Paine (United States) are among the candidates. Twenty-four other individuals are also candidates for the Council. The final list of eligible candidates will be announced no later than May 20.
