FIS Presidential Election on Hold

(ATR) International Ski Federation secretary general Sarah Lewis says that the hope is to reschedule the postponed 52nd FIS Congress around fall technical meetings in Zurich at the end of September.

The coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the annual gathering, where elections for a new FIS president and Council were planned, in addition to the selection of 2024 and 2025 world championships organizers. The FIS meeting was initially scheduled for Thailand in May.

"We’ll have to monitor the situation, but Zurich is a likely location for the Congress taking advantage of the autumn meetings," Lewis tells Around the Rings. "Clearly, if travel restrictions are in place, it’s a situation that has to be dealt with."

Lewis said that teleconference elections are not provided for in the FIS statutes.

"It’s not in the FIS statutes to have the meeting online, but nothing is precluded from being discussed by the Council," Lewis said.

Also lost to the virus were more than 1,800 FIS competitions – at all levels and disciplines across 35 countries over a 10-day period. Lewis said the aftereffects are being dealt with by a skeleton structure at the FIS offices in Switzerland, while communicating with some 60 staffers from 16 countries across four continents.

"It’s about the now and present, but it also means looking ahead to the upcoming season and communicating with the National Ski and Organizers, rights holders, the ski industry and other stakeholders, about how plans are being put in place and that commands our complete attention," she said.

Candidates are emerging to succeed FIS president Gian Franco Kasper, who announced last November that he is stepping down after leading the federation for 22 years. Kasper, an IOC member from 2008-2018, is leaving the post with two years remaining on his term. The Swiss sports leader served FIS as secretary general beginning in 1975.

Thus far, two candidates have officially announced their intentions to run for the FIS presidency: Johan Eliasch, the CEO of the HEAD Sports Group and Swiss Ski Federation president Urs Lehmann.

Swedish Olympic Committee president Mats Arjes is also expected to declare his intentions.

Lewis seems to be a likely candidate though when asked byATRabout a potential run, she said "I'm not going to go down that route.

"Frankly, the situation is I'm absolutely completely focused on the work that has to be done now which is extremely intensive and extremely significant," she added.

Johan Eliasch – HEAD Skis

Eliasch is the billionaire chairman and CEO of Head Group, which produces skis and tennis rackets in its sports equipment portfolio. Head continues to sponsor numerous top racers on the World Cup tour.

Swedish-born, but holding dual citizenship with the United Kingdom, Eliasch was nominated for the FIS presidency by GB Snowsport.

"We have an opportunity to add marketing, to modernize a bit, perhaps find more entertaining competitions formats and if we do that we can get more viewers, more money for television rights and invest more in sport to drive our sport into [more] participation," said Eliasch, based in London.

Having worked closely with elite racers, Eliasch says he has the capability to enhance the marketing and visibility of the sport’s stars.

"There is no reason that we can’t be more like Formula One, ATP Tennis or the PGA in golf," he said.

Eliasch also suggested that ski racing can be better exposed and marketed in the United States.

"This is where the full potential of the sport has not been reached."

Eliasch has made it clear that should he be elected FIS president, he will step down as HEAD CEO as to avoid any possible conflict of interest.

Urs Lehmann – Swiss-Ski

Lehmann, the 1993 downhill world champion, has been president of the Swiss Ski Association since 2008.

Under Lehmann, Swiss skiing is currently experiencing its most prosperous era since the late 1980’s. Swiss alpine racers finished atop the nations’ ranking this past season for the first time in over 30 years.

"I feel both hugely honored and obligated to run as Gian Franco Kasper’s successor," Lehmann said.

"It is important that we at FIS, as our international umbrella association, maintain a sense of continuity while also bringing new visions and ideas to the post-Kasper era. I feel ready to take on this challenge."

In addition to the Swiss alpine success, the country’s Nordic skiers had one of their best decades ever, while Swiss freestyle skiers and snowboarders have won 12 medals at the last two major championships.

The past 12 years under Lehmann have been characterized by the steady development of the association both structurally and financially. Swiss-Ski sales have doubled to CHF 57.7 million, while World Cup media and advertising rights have been re-marketed. New concepts relating to medical care, research and development, and coaching have also been implemented.

Additional Candidates

Mats Arjes, FIS vice president and the president of the Swedish Olympic Committee since 2018, seems another likely candidate although he has yet to officially declare.

Arjes was president of the Swedish Ski Federation from 2008-2018 as well as CEO of Skistar, a company which owns numerous ski resorts across Scandinavia, including Åre, which hosted last season’s world championships and was proposed to host alpine events as part of Sweden’s unsuccessful 2026 Winter Olympics bid.

Lewis has served as secretary general of FIS since 2000. The former British ski racer and 1988 Olympian is also on the IOC’s Beijing 2022 coordination commission representing the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF).

The FIS secretary general addressed potential changes in the sport that will likely result from the coronavirus and what she believes is the future of the governing body.

"It will have to be a new reality – we’re not going to be able to return to the situation exactly as it has been in the past," Lewis said.

"Everyone is going to be adapting how they do things, but there is no question that the communications and empathy that we’ve been able to find within the entire communication is an important spirit that we should each retain moving forward."

Written by Brian Pinelli

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Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.Written by Brian Pinelli