FIS Council in Thun gives the go-ahead for World Championships in every discipline in non-Olympic even-numbered years

The FIS Council met between Tuesday and yesterday in Thun for a regular two-day session and a strategic workshop, which included a visit to the headquarters in Oberhofen am Thunersee. Council members discussed major sporting issues, including the governance structure of the International Federation, which has been chaired by Alexander Ospelt for just under three months, the financial situation and long-term priorities, and approved a series of important decisions.

First and foremost, the future of the World Championships: after examining a preliminary feasibility study focused on sporting value, calendar assessment and commercial and media-rights potential, the Council approved the idea of increasing the frequency of the FIS World Championships, so that they would be held not only every two years in odd-numbered years, but also in non-Olympic even-numbered years starting in 2032.

After receiving a detailed assessment, the Council stated that it was willing to consider the possibility of increasing the frequency of the World Championships by holding an edition as early as 2028, after this option had initially been considered only for Nordic skiing (from 2032).

Regarding the long-term calendars: FIS members agreed on the fundamental principles of a long-term World Cup calendar for all disciplines, which would take into account ideas such as creating regional calendar groups, developing emerging markets while protecting key markets, and defining a multifactor calendar-impact score for each event.

Following approval of the principles, the matter will now be referred back to the FIS Directorate and, finally, to the Media Rights Executive Committee, before a draft long-term calendar is submitted to the Council for approval after the autumn meetings.

The wild card issue was also discussed: the Council approved the principle of adopting a common policy and regulatory framework governing the granting of wild cards in all FIS disciplines, not only alpine skiing, as occurred in 2024 with the returns of Hirscher and Vonn. The regulatory framework will take into account: a fixed number of starts, a fixed eligibility period, anti-doping compliance and safety checks.

Each discipline would therefore be responsible for defining its own specific conditions, such as performance thresholds and the effects on determining starting positions and quotas. The drafting and development of the regulations will now begin, with the aim of having the final version approved by the technical committees and, ultimately, by the Council in spring 2027.