Alexander Ospelt from Liechtenstein was elected the new president of the FIS

Alexander Ospelt from Liechtenstein has been elected the new president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). This was announced on June 11 by the press service of the organization.

"At the 57th FIS Congress in Belgrade (Serbia), Alexander Ospelt (Liechtenstein) was elected the new FIS president," reads a release on the federation's website.

Ospelt's competitor was the previous president of the FIS, Johan Elias, who has led the organization since 2021. The margin of victory was minimal: 64 votes were cast for Elias, 65 for Ospelt. A delegation from Russia also took part in the elections, including the head of the Russian Ski Racing Federation, Elena Vyalbe, clarifies "Газета.Ru ".

Earlier, Danish Anna Falkenberg, American Dexter Payne and British Victoria Gosling applied for the post of president of the federation. However, all three withdrew their candidacies. In addition, the delegates voted for 18 members of the FIS Council.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev congratulated Ospelt on his appointment. He called the Liechtenstein citizen an experienced leader who has worked for the benefit of skiing for many years.

"We look forward to constructive cooperation with the new FIS leadership. <...> I am confident that the renewal in the international and Russian federations will help strengthen our dialogue, increase trust and return Russian athletes to full participation in international competitions," the minister wrote on his Telegram channel.

Ospelt is 58 years old. He is a member of the FIS Council and was Vice President of the Federation of European Ski and Snowboard Associations from 2021 to 2024. Prior to that, from 2016 to 2023, he was the head of the Ski Sports Association in his native Liechtenstein.

Cold question: when will Russia be allowed to participate in winter sports

The results of the elections in the international federations will show how close the return of the flag and anthem is.

The Commission of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on December 27 last year recognized as discriminatory the decision of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to suspend Russian athletes from international competitions. According to the decision of the court, the federation did not provide sufficient legal grounds for the exclusion of athletes from Russia and Belarus.