The expansion of the World Championships and the first opposition from Austria and Germany: “The risk is that their meaning will be diminished, but not only that”

The first reactions to the decision—which is anything but finalised and will now go before the autumn meetings—do not appear exactly enthusiastic. FIS is considering holding the World Championships in alpine skiing, snowboard, freestyle and the Nordic disciplines every season, except, naturally, in Olympic winters.

An increase in the number of events on the calendar, given how packed the World Cup already is, especially in the “mother” discipline, is making even the federations that make up the governing body of snow sports raise their eyebrows (although there are many other aspects that are unconvincing).

All the more so because of the possibility of starting as early as 2028, rather than 2032; even those who supported the new president of the International Federation, Alexander Ospelt, are opposed, or at least waiting for greater clarity. OESV, in an official statement, said that it “opposes the current plan” and will assess “a formal decision by FIS or one that examines this concept in greater depth, but we remain faithful to the principle that a World Championship must remain something special”.

At the same time, the Austrian ski federation is willing to organise the World Championships in St. Anton, for which it would be in pole position in 2033 (on the “traditional” date, after Crans-Montana, Narvik and Val Gardena), while not closing the door on the possibility of 2028 (in any case a complicated prospect, considering that Saalbach hosted the event in 2025, ed.), and revealed that “our presidential conference had held an intense discussion on the subject last 26 August, unanimously expressing its opposition to holding the World Championships every non-Olympic year. This position had already been communicated to the FIS president before the meeting in Thun”.

And furthermore: “Such a model makes no sense either from a sporting or a strategic point of view, and if there were Olympic Games or World Championships every season, there would be a risk that the importance of individual years and World Cup races would diminish.

From OESV’s point of view, an almost annual event entails a significant risk of inflation and therefore of a gradual devaluation of the sporting prestige of a World Championship and the world title”.

Meanwhile, colleagues at “BR24Sport” collected a statement from Stefan Schwarzbach, managing director of DSV Marketing within the German federation. He was more diplomatic, while emphasising that this decision goes beyond what had initially been considered in FIS discussions. FIS has, incidentally, just awarded Germany the organisation of the 2031 Nordic World Ski Championships, with Oberstdorf once again hosting ski jumping, Nordic combined and cross-country skiing, ten years after the last time.

“The decision has been made, so this is no longer just an idea but a choice taken by the International Federation,” Schwarzbach said. “The big question is whether it will begin in 2028 or only in 2032, and which disciplines it will apply to. Yes, I believe there are certainly several arguments in favour as well: additional World Championships would offer athletes more opportunities to achieve major successes.

Of course, with another major event in a four-year cycle, the workload for the athletes themselves increases, and that means three fewer weekends. They have to be recovered somehow, putting additional pressure on the World Cup”.

He added: “I find it difficult to imagine how the Nordic World Championships could be held every year; I am even more sceptical about the possibility for these disciplines in particular”.

Nordic combined, however, since it is not part of the Olympic programme for Alpes 2030, would have an important showcase in the “additional” World Championships: “Yes, an extra World Championship could potentially be an excellent way to compensate for or provide visibility to this sport; telemark also comes to mind as a way of giving the discipline a boost”.

A champion who took everything at the last Nordic World Championships, the home event in Trondheim (and then did the same at the Games in Val di Fiemme), also appeared sceptical in an interview with NRK: Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. The king of cross-country skiing told the Norwegian broadcaster: “Generally, I like new ideas and support them, but in this case my first reaction is scepticism about the proposal in general.

That is because a World Championship should be a unique event, so that it retains its meaning. I am not convinced that biathlon is doing the right thing by organising this event annually; if you think about it, the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup preserve their value by taking place every four years. In any case, I would be ready for an annual event; time will tell whether it is the right choice or not”.