Candidates announced for FIS President and Council election. Johan Eliasch’s Quest for Third FIS Term Sparks Passport Controversy

All candidates for the positions of President and FIS Council (18) must be nominated by their National Ski Association at least 60 days prior to the opening of the Congress, in accordance with Article 10.10.1.1 of the FIS Statutes.

In line with this requirement, the following candidates have been submitted for the positions of President and Council Member, listed in alphabetical order. All candidature documents are available here.

President

• Johan Eliasch (GEO)

• Anna Harboe Falkenberg (DEN)*

• Victoria Gosling (GBR)*

• Alexander Ospelt (LIE)*

• Dexter Paine (USA)*

* In the event they are not elected as President, these candidates will stand for election to the Council.

Johan Eliasch has emerged as a candidate for a third term as President of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

The June 11 election in Belgrade is shaping up to be a referendum on the very soul of the sport. Unlike the 2021 "one-man race," Eliasch faces four challengers in a field that signals a desperate push for a change in leadership style.

The announcement confirms weeks of backroom speculation: after both Sweden and Great Britain declined to nominate him, Eliasch secured the backing of the Georgian Ski Association.

The nomination immediately triggered a frenzy of legal scrutiny. Under FIS’s own statutes, a presidential candidate must hold a valid passport from the country of the federation nominating them.

The Conflict: Eliasch was born in Djursholm, Sweden, and holds British citizenship.

The Implication: To stand legally under the federation’s rules, Eliasch would have had to acquire Georgian nationality—a move that underscores his determination to retain control of the organization despite losing the support of his "home" nations.

Eliasch’s rise to power in 2021 remains one of the most contentious chapters in FIS history. During that election, he stood as the sole candidate in a process critics labeled "deeply flawed."

In a historic show of defiance, 56 of FIS’s 126 member associations walked out of the 2021 vote in protest.

While heavyweights like Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Croatia eventually dropped a challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the fracture between the Alpine "Old Guard" and Eliasch’s "New World Order" has only deepened.

Eliasch, the owner of HEAD, has treated FIS more like a corporate turnaround project than a traditional sports federation. His tenure has been marked by:

• Commercial Centralization: A aggressive push to seize control of broadcast and marketing rights from national federations to create a unified global product.

• Geopolitical Controversy: His decision to accept Azerbaijan as a headline sponsor for Freestyle events caused a diplomatic rift, leading to Kazakhstan’s withdrawal from hosting a Moguls World Cup.

• Global Expansion: Proponents argue Eliasch is the only leader with the business acumen to help skiing compete with modern "X-Games" style sports and digital entertainment.

The Takeaway: Whether Eliasch is a visionary modernizer or a top-down autocrat depends on which side of the mountain you stand on. But by turning to Georgia for his nomination, he has ensured that the path to Belgrade will be anything but downhill.

Council

• Deidra Dionne (CAN)

• Tove Moe Dyrhaug (NOR) 

• Dean Gosper (AUS)

• Dr. Michael Huber (AUT) 

• Nevena Ignjatovic (SRB)

• Magdalena Kast (ARG)

• Fredy Keirouz (LBN)

• Zurab Kostava (GEO)

• Roman Kumpost (CZE) 

• Tomaž Kunstelj (SLO) 

• Karin Mattsson (SWE )

• Tzeko Minev (BUL)

• Ken Odashima (JPN)

• Jana Palovičová (SVK)

• May Peus (ESP)

• Jean-Philippe Rochat (SUI)

• Flavio Roda (ITA)

• Fabien Saguez (FRA)

• Dr. Franz Steinle (GER)

• Fiona Stevens (NZL)

• Yuliia Syparenko (UKR)

• Patrick Toussaint Mas (AND)

• Martti Uusitalo (FIN)

• Zhao Wang (CHN)

The final list of eligible candidates, as approved by the FIS Nomination and Remuneration Committee, will be communicated no later than 20 May 2026. In the meantime, all nominated candidates may now commence their promotional campaigns.

The election will take place during the FIS Congress on 11 June 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia.