FIS President in the crossfire of criticism

“It is a small minority that creates public sentiment and tries to put us under pressure through the media. However, this type of communication does not correspond to our code of values,” said 60-year-old Eliasch. The British-Swedish entrepreneur has been at the top of the Fis since 2021 - and is in constant dispute with some associations. It's about the question of who will have the say over the marketing of the World Cups in the future. It's about the billionaire's expansion plans, who want to hold ski races in Asia. And it's about a lawsuit brought by the four major associations in the Alpine region before the Cas International Court of Arbitration for Sports: Germany, Switzerland, Croatia and Austria question the legality of Eliasch's re-election. “It is a small minority that creates public sentiment.” Johan Eliasch “We are convinced of our path and the vast majority of our members are too,” said Eliasch. He took office with a vision and sees it as his job to fight for this vision. “It is important to exchange ideas and at the same time take suggestions. For me, that is the hallmark of a good discussion culture and the key to success,” said Eliasch. He attested to the positive development of the Fis under his leadership: “We have paved the way to lead the Fis into the 21st century. We can be really proud of what we have achieved together so far.” Associations oppose Eliasch The German Ski Association is critical of the development of the world association Fis since President Johan Eliasch took office. “The culture of discussion in particular has suffered in recent years. Not only in dialogue with the associations, but also within the organization,” said Stefan Schwarzbach, board member of the German Ski Association. Business tycoon Eliasch came in to give the association a greener and more modern look and to change skiing as a whole. According to his critics, the main thing that has changed is the relationship with the national associations, many of which are in constant dispute with the 60-year-old. “The culture of discussion in particular has suffered in recent years.” Stefan Schwarzbach from DSV There is trouble, for example, about the marketing rights of the races. So far, these have been the responsibility of the national associations in whose areas the World Cups take place. Eliasch, on the other hand, wants to enforce centralized marketing and commercialization of the World Cups. In the opinion of the billionaire businessman, the ownership, commercial and marketing rights of all World Cups should be awarded to the Fis. To counteract this, the ski associations from Germany, Austria and Switzerland recently announced closer cooperation. Since Eliasch took office, Schwarzbach has recognized a clear paradigm shift in decision-making authority: “All in all, this means that the member associations can hardly contribute their know-how to the coordination processes.”

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FIS President in the crossfire of criticism

The controversial president of the World Ski Association Fis, Johan Eliasch, has described his relationship with most of the 142 member associations as “very good”.

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