International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) Elects New President

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) have elected Alexander Ospelt as its new president this morning, by a single vote. Ospelt secured 65 votes to current president’s Johan Eliasch’s 64, in one of the closest presidential ballots in the organisation’s history.

Delegates gathered for the annual FIS Congress, being staged in Belgrade, Serbia, where both candidates presented sharply contrasting visions for the federation’s future. Ospelt, a Liechtenstein lawyer and long‑time FIS Council member, campaigned on strengthening relations with national associations and improving governance transparency. His narrow victory reflects months of debate within the organisation over commercial strategy, centralisation, and the direction of elite competition.

Eliasch, who has duel British/Swedish nationality had sought re‑election having overseen significant structural changes during his presidency. His supporters argued that continued reform was essential, while critics said they believed the costs involved were unsustainable.

Ospelt will now oversee preparations for the 2026–27 World Cup season and guide FIS through ongoing discussions on climate adaptation, athlete welfare, and long‑term financial stability. He is expected to outline his priorities in the coming days as the federation transitions to new leadership.

Eliasch, who is also the billionaire boss of the Head Sports Group, had previously said that whatever the result he was in a “win, win” position, as he would either continue running the organisation or “get my life back,” and he reiterated that in a brief speech after the result was announced.

Later in the Day the FIS published details of a press conference with Alexander Ospelt after his election.

“There’s been some great dialogue in the build-up to this Congress and it’s been very interesting to talk to representatives from all different countries, but the result [65 votes to 64] shows we’re still divided,” said President Ospelt. “I see this division as a chance, rather than a problem. My first task will be bringing unity and a common ambition to drive FIS forward together.”

When quizzed further on where he plans to start his work as President, Ospelt underlined his intention to listen to the National Ski Associations (NSAs) and to athletes, to get a deeper understanding of the issues they are experiencing. “There’s a lot of work to do, but I want every NSA to feel like now is a new start, that I will take all their concerns seriously and that every NSA must be treated with the same importance as any other.”

“I’ve requested that the bigger states show solidarity with the smaller states – it’s not in anybody’s best interest to just have athletes from the leading nations competing in the World Cup – and the bigger states are committed to that,” continued Ospelt, a FIS Council member since 2024 and President of the Liechtenstein Ski Association between 2015 and 2023.

“We’re already looking at ways to gain additional stakeholders, investment and sponsors, in order to distribute more income to the NSAs and meet athletes’ requests for increased prize money,” said Ospelt, when quizzed on further areas of action. “For me, it makes most sense to strengthen the disciplines where each of their audiences are. Taking China as an example, it makes most sense to take Freestyle and Snowboard Alpine events there, as the great athletes they have [in those disciplines] can enable us to put on showpiece events – showpieces we can use to broaden the interest across the whole of Asia.”

Ospelt also expressed a keen interest in applying successful concepts across disciplines and competitions. “I’ve been to the Engadina [ski marathon] many times and there are over 12,000 people participating in it, so I always wondered, ‘why not combine it with a World Cup Cross-Country race?’ as we’d already have the audience there and it’d be even more attractive to sponsors.”

“We can also learn from organizers of big Ski Jumping events like the Four Hills Tournament, sharing good ideas across venues and across disciplines. I think the fact that we’ve got so many disciplines is an opportunity for us.

“With Alpine, there are lots of discussions going on about how to make it more attractive,” said Ospelt, who was asked about the prospects of Freeride becoming an Olympic discipline and how to strengthen Alpine’s media appeal.

“We need to find the right TV format and I think we need to make the athletes more visible, work on promoting them more and turning them into stars – which is what audiences want to see.”

“Freeride is really cool too, it’s a totally challenging competition in every way, which is what you want to see, and it’s very fun and very attractive for spectators – especially TV audiences,” he said, as the press conference drew to a close.

“But before [fighting for Freeride to get in], the first step is to fight for Snowboard Alpine and Nordic Combined to stay in the Olympics. If we achieve that, we can move on to other disciplines.”

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