Zürich, November 14th, 2009//- The FIS Council held its Autumn Meeting as is traditional in Switzerland, with this year's location the Hotel Hilton Zurich Airport. The Council dealt with several important items on its agenda and the main decisions include the following:

Decisions directly related to ski sports

FIS World Cup calendars 2009/2010

The Council approved minor modifications to the FIS World Cup calendars for the 2009/2010 season as proposed by the respective Technical Committees. The final versions of the calendars are available on the FIS website under the individual disciplines (Left menu: Discipline - World Cup).

The Nations Team Event at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) in March 2010 will be carried out in a parallel giant slalom format. This decision was taken following a detailed evaluation of the format of the event carried out by a working group of the Alpine Executive Board.

FIS World Championships and Junior World Championships

The Council approved the addition of a Nordic Combined team event on the normal hill to the program of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo (NOR) 2011. The program for the FIS Snowboard World Championships in La Molina (SPA) 2011 was approved with the opening ceremony and big air event to be carried out at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.

The organizers of the FIS Junior World Ski Championships were appointed as follows:
• FIS Junior Nordic World Ski Championships 2012 in Ezerum (TUR)
• FIS Junior Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 in Liberec (CZE)
• FIS Junior Grass Skiing World Championships 2010 in Dizin (IRA)

Olympic Winter Games and Youth Olympics

Progress reports were received from Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014 and the Youth Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck 2012.

World Cup Prize Money for 2010/2011

The minimum values of prize money for the 2010/2011 World Cup season were confirmed to remain the same as for the current season.

Anti-Doping Rules

An amendment to the FIS Anti-Doping Rules was approved in regard to reinstatement of testing and the application of a period of three months before an athlete may return to competition.

Rules for the FIS Disciplines, official and committee member appointments

Various modifications to the regulations and appointments in each of the FIS disciplines were made by the Council, on proposal of the respective FIS Technical Committees. Notably, the following rules were approved:

Cross-Country

The introduction of FIS points for FIS Cross-Country Marathon Cup races.

Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined

After initial positive experiences during the Ski Jumping Summer Grand Prix 2009 with the trial to enable the starting gate to be changed during a competition round, the Council decided to prolong the trial at specific Ski Jumping competitions in World Cup Periods 4 and 5, namely the FIS Team Tour from 30th January to 7th February and the Nordic Tournament from 6th to 14th March, as well as throughout the DKB FIS Nordic Combined World Cup.

Freestyle and Snowboard - future events

The Council received a report of both the Freestyle and Snowboard Committees about their future program of events with special focus on ensuring that these disciplines retain and further develop their youth appeal.

Other Committees

The FIS Council received the report of the FIS Athletes Commission and made changes to the Equipment Rules for competition protection in Alpine Skiing and crash helmets for Ski Jumping, as well as updates to some rules for Grass Skiing, Speed Skiing and Telemark.

Administrative Decisions

Finances

Despite the present worldwide financial situation, the FIS financial position can be classified as relatively satisfactory. The Finance Commission will study the end of period accounts in March 2010 and report back to the Council with a proposal for financial support to the National Ski Associations to present to the FIS Congress 2010 that safeguards the FIS and also supports the Member Associations' activities.

FIS Marketing AG

FIS Marketing AG organized its first board meeting on 13th November 2009. The chairman of the company is FIS Vice President Carl Eric Stahlberg, with board members from FIS, Janez Kocijancic and Fritz Wagnerberger, as well as Bruno Marty from Infront and Christian Pirzer, Tridem Sports who is also the CEO.

FIS - Ski Industry Working Group

Following the Symposium organized together with the ski industry in conjunction with the FIS Autumn Meetings in September, a small working group comprising representatives from the FIS Council, National Ski Associations and Ski Racing Suppliers (SRS) will be installed to discuss specific measures to try to make cost efficiencies in the organization of the sport.

Bring Children to Snow

The next phase of the FIS campaign to "Bring Children to the Snow" has seen the launch of the campaign website and the first issue of the newsletter. For more information, visit www.fis-snowkidz.com. The first award to recognize and promote the best examples of bringing children to the snow in varying national circumstances will be awarded at the 47th International Ski Congress in Antalya (TUR) in 2010.

FIS Congress 2010 and 2012

The Council discussed the various proposals from the National Ski Associations to the FIS Congress. Reports regarding the program and arrangements for the FIS Congress 2010 in Antalya (TUR) as well as the progress for the construction of the High One Resort (KOR), planned site of the 2012 Congress, were given.

European Ski Federation

The Council acknowledged proposals for sanctions against the four National Ski Associations that have formed their own European Ski Federation, but decided to put them on hold for the time being. In the meantime, a delegation of FIS Council Members will meet with the four Presidents from Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland with the goal of discussing their issues and how these can be managed within the confines of FIS.

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About FIS
Founded in 1924 during the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France, the International Ski Federation (FIS) aims to promote the sport of skiing and snowboarding and directs the development of all ski and snowboarding activities world-wide. It administers the Olympic disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding, including setting the international competition rules. With the help of its 110 member nations (one currently suspended), FIS stages more than 6'000 ski and snowboard competitions annually. FIS also makes recommendations for recreational skiing and snowboarding in the interest of all and promotes play in the snow as a healthy leisure activity for children and the youth.

FIS news
14/11/2009