FIS CONGRESS, Antalya, 4th June, 2010 - The 47th International Ski Congress in Antalya (TUR) was the centennial International Ski Congress, taking place 100 years after the very first International Ski Congress which was held on 18th February 1910 in Christiania (later known as Oslo), Norway. The delegates at the 2010 FIS Congress were conscious of the importance of their decisions for the future direction and development of the international ski sports which now embark on their second century.

The FIS Congress in Antalya took the following decisions:

President Kasper re-elected

FIS President Gian Franco Kasper was reconfirmed as the FIS President for his fourth four-year term from 2010-2014. He was elected for the first time in 1998.

Gian Franco KASPER. Photo: Francis BOMPARD/AGENCE ZOOM

In accepting his election by acclamation, President Kasper said: "I thank you for this confidence, I promise to do my best for the sport during the next four years. Whether that will be good enough is for others to judge."

Eight new members elected to FIS Council

The following were elected to the FIS Council for the upcoming two-year period, 2010-2012:

Patrick Smith (CAN), 116 votes
Giovanni Morzenti (ITA), 111 votes
Sverre Seeberg (NOR), 110 votes
Mats Arjes (SWE), 109 votes (new)
Michel Vion (FRA), 109 votes (new)
Bill Marolt (USA), 108 votes
Alfons Hörmann (GER), 107 votes (new)
Yoshiro Ito (JPN), 104 votes
Janez Kocijancic (SLO), 99 votes
Sung Won Lee (KOR), 91 votes
Peter Schröcksnadel (AUT), 90 votes (new)
Matti Sundberg (FIN), 89 votes (new)
Eduardo Roldan (SPA), 87 votes
Vedran Pavlek (CRO), 81 votes (new)
Roman Kumpost (CZE), 75 votes (new)
Dean Gosper (AUS), 72 votes* (new; First round tie requiring 2nd ballot; 64 in 2nd ballot)

The maximum number of votes available: 121; second round 119)

Long-term FIS Council members Milan Jirasek (CZE) and Carl Eric Stalberg (SWE) were named FIS Honorary Members.

Directly sports-related decisions

The Congress took a number of important decisions with a view to developing the FIS disciplines in a progressive way and focusing on their appeal to the younger generations and in the media:

It unanimously supported the proposal to submit a request to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include Freestyle half-pipe on the program of the Olympic Winter Games Freestyle half-pipe has been part of the FIS Freestyle Skiing World Championships since 2005. FIS will now propose Freestyle half-pipe together with ladies' Ski Jumping and the Alpine Nations' Team Event, which will - as per a decision of the FIS Congress 2006 in Vilamoura (POR) - be resubmitted to the IOC.

Snowboard slopestyle and team snowboard cross were also unanimously adopted on the program of the FIS Snowboard World Championships, whilst the submission of slopestyle to the IOC was also discussed.

A multi-stage competition in Cross-Country Skiing, similar to the annual FIS Tour de Ski, was accepted to be carried out as a World Championship, to take place every four years. The first edition will take place as soon as the organizational aspects are clarified (2012 or 2016).

The slalom and giant slalom competitions at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will feature 60 starters in the 2nd run after a closely contested vote. A maximum of 100 starters with all entered nations represented may participate in the first run after a qualification race.

Financial and administrative decisions

Two Associate Members, Albania and Nepal, were accepted as Full Members of the International Ski Federation, with one vote each. The Nepal Ski Association will seek to place the FIS flag on top of the world's highest mountain Mt. Everest to recognize the centennial of FIS and highlight the start of the 2nd century of international skiing.

The Antalya Congress approved the accounts and reports of the auditors as well as the budget for the next two year period 2010-2011. It also accepted the proposal from the Council for a special distribution for the promotion of skiing coming from the result of period 2008/09 together with a sizeable contributions from the FIS reserves as an exceptional measure to assist the National Ski Associations recover from the economic difficulties they have faced over the past two years during the financial crisis. Together with a budgeted amount of CHF National Ski Association support for 2010-11, a total of 33 million CHF will be paid out over the next two years of which CHF 26.5 million will be distributed in direct financial support from FIS to the member National Ski Associations.

On proposal of the FIS Athletes Commission, a specially tailor-made insurance scheme for the 35'000 registered athletes in all the FIS disciplines, was approved to assist athletes in case of permanent disability or death. All active registered athletes will be covered at accidents during official training and competition at FIS events. The cost of the insurance coverage will be shared between FIS and the member National Ski Associations.

FIS SnowKidz Award

As part of FIS's multi-year international campaign entitled "Bring Children to Snow" that has been designed to generate passion for snow activities among the younger generations, the Antalya Congress awarded the recipients of the first FIS SnowKidz Award. The top three award winners were decided by the FIS Council from among the 8 finalists. Altogether, 23 projects representing 19 National Ski Associations competed for the awards.

FIS SnowKidz Award Results
1. Barnas Skiklubb, Norway
2. Maine Winter Sports Center, Healthy Hometowns Program, USA
3. Schnee kinderleicht - Bewegtes Land, Germany

Finalists:
Suusabuss (Skibus), Estonia
Snow Day, Hungary
Skilly Day, Italy
Teach the Teachers to Ski, Finland
Naltar Ski School, Pakistan

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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. For more information, please visit www.fis-ski.com.

FIS news
4/06/2010