FIS Presidents to Have Time in Office Limited
13th October 2021
Last modified on October 16th, 2021
The International Ski Federation has had just four presidents in its 97-year history. That is about to change. Also more women will need to be on the ruling council.
The decisions came at the recent FIS Extraordinary Congress.
Presidents will now be limited to three 4-year terms after a near-unanimous vote by member federations.
The 12-year limit brings skiing in line with international sports bodies such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.
FIS elected a new president earlier this year.
The previous president, Gian Franco Kasper, had been in office for 23-years.
The Federation will also require at least three women on its 18-member governing committee.
“When I was elected president, ran on a campaign that promised change,” said FIS President Johan Eliasch.
“I am proud that, together with our Member National Associations, we reached another important milestone on this common and exciting path.
With the adjustments to the FIS Statutes, we now have the framework to effectively and purposefully implement our vision and our goals.”
Eliasch continued, “there is a lot of work to do, but with such an emphatic voting result and the clear trust and support of our members I look forward to leading FIS into its next chapter.”
FIS Name Change
In another important decision, the Congress also voted to keep the name of the International Ski Federation, after two alternative names were put forward.
The two proposals were the International Ski and Snowboard Federation and the International Snowsports Federation.
In an initial vote, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation topped the Snowsports alternative by a slim margin of 57-51.
In the second round of voting, which needed 2/3 majority approval, including the name snowboard in the official name did not receive the number of votes needed to reach the majority.
While the snowboard alternative won the vote 66-49, it only earned 57% support.
“All three alternatives had my full support. The members decided on the name they feel represents FIS best,” added FIS President Johan Eliasch
“But an important lesson learned is that there is a desire from our stakeholders that we do a better job of being inclusive of all disciplines in our daily communication and promotion of FIS.”
The next FIS Congress will take place in Spring 2022.
Image © PlanetSKI
