FIS given preferred status in pursuit to take over governance of three winter para sports

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) revealed it held discussions with the International Ski Federation (FIS) about transfer governance over three para sports during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games on Tuesday. The discussions were part of an ongoing process to move the governance of individual para sports outside the purview of the IPC.

The sports concerned under the announcement were para alpine skiing, para cross country skiing, and para snowboard. All three sports are currently governed under the auspices of the IPC.

A meeting between the two international sports bodies took place during Beijing 2022, which the IPC claims served as a chance for the two bodies to transfer knowledge and increase engagement on the three sports of interest.

IPC President Andrew Parsons commented, “the discussions held in Beijing show that the IPC and FIS share a common vision about the future of the Para snow sports.”

“Since the announcement of the managed process for the World Para Sports to become independent from the IPC, we have said that this decision had as a main objective the continued development and growth of the sports.”

He concluded, “we believe that this can be achieved together with FIS and will continue our conversations on the next steps to be taken in this process.”

FIS President Johan Eliasch also provided his thoughts on the matter, stating, “it was a big step for both FIS and the IPC to hold these important discussions.”

“Many of our National Ski Associations already have the Para snow sports under their umbrella and it is the clear next step to bring the governance of these sports under the FIS umbrella.”

He concluded, “we look forward to taking the next steps in order to be ready to welcome the Para disciplines and their athletes to the FIS Family.”

Notably, para biathlon, which is managed together with para cross country skiing under the banner of para nordic skiing by the IPC, was left off the list of sports the FIS was given preferential status for. In their announcement, the IPC only included a note that further information about para biathlon would follow soon.

The potential splitting of governance over para cross country skiing and para biathlon could complicate matters for adaptive athletes. Under the guise of para nordic skiing, many adaptive athletes are active in both sports, often competing in both sports during major events.

Without an overarching governing body, dual sport athletes could be forced to choose between one sport or the other should a split occur due to scheduling conflicts, differing venues, or varying classifications.

It’s worth noting that cross country skiing and biathlon are managed by separate governing bodies at the Olympic level. The FIS governs cross country skiing, while the International Biathlon Union (IBU) oversees biathlon. There are athletes who compete in both sports, especially during the Winter Olympics, but that crossover is made much more difficult by varying eligibility requirements, qualification processes, and technical rules.

The IPC has yet to finalize the transfer of governance for any of the snow sports currently under the para sport organization’s auspices. Instead, they have promised contact with the various stakeholders in para snow sports as the process to bring more independent governance to para sport continues.