June 11, 2026, 9:37 am
Match change in skiing: The previous, controversial FIS President Johan Eliasch was overthrown: At the FIS Congress in Belgrade, he received one vote less than his challenger, Alexander Ospelt from Liechtenstein, who has now been FIS President for the next four years since midnight. Ospelt was mainly supported by the major skiing nations, which have three votes in the FIS, with the possible exception of Russia, which is not allowed to send athletes to competitions in skiing due to the sanctions, but is still allowed to have a say politically and probably supported Eliasch, who competed for Georgia. Since the election was secret, these are speculations. In addition to Russia, the 64 votes for Eliasch will have come primarily from small nations, as the Liechtenstein delegate in Belgrade, Marco Büchel, suspects. The former ski professional is happy for Ospelt and was still vying for votes the evening before. “Most associations had already made up their minds. In small associations it was still possible to win votes. I knew some of the representatives from my active days and we are still connected,” explains Büchel. With a narrow outcome of just one vote, every conversation with the delegates and associations was important – something that Alexander Ospelt also actively pursued in the last few weeks. “It was an extremely exciting, complex time,” says the new FIS President.
Ospelt remembers Toni Real when he accepts his election
The highlight of the FIS Congress, the presidential election, dragged on extremely long. There was a reason for this: Swiss Ski requested that the elections not be carried out electronically as planned, but rather by postal vote. This once again showed how much mistrust there has recently been towards the FIS leadership. Diegoüger, co-CEO of the Swiss association, explains the proposal: “We identified problems with the electronic system at the last congress. And this election was too important to test a new system ». In addition, the events of the 2022 elections were still on many minds. At that time, Eliasch was the only candidate. In the mode there was no possibility to vote against Eliasch – only a “yes” or an abstention was possible. At that time, over 50 delegates abstained from voting – Eliasch still celebrated his election with 100 percent approval. With the postal vote, Swiss Ski set the course in advance – everything had to be done in the right way. The duel between Eliasch and Ospelt was ultimately extremely close.
65 votes for Ospelt, 64 votes for Eliasch. The latter accepted defeat, but in his reaction he started another rumor. The FIS is independent and there is information that the IOC influenced these elections. Eliasch did not say anything more about this accusation. Alexander Ospelt cannot respond to this. “I was never confronted with it,” he explains. After Eliasch, the former LSV president was able to thank the delegates for their trust. During his first words as FIS President, he remembered Toni Real, his successor as LSV President, who died after a mountain accident.
Liechtenstein in the focus of the world thanks to Ospelt
Following the election, a small marathon began for Ospelt with interviews, a press conference and of course lots of congratulations. “I am very happy and I am also proud.” Marco Büchel adds: “This choice is simply huge for the country of Liechtenstein. The highest official in skiing comes from Liechtenstein. This means that a long tradition continues with the next step. Liechtenstein has celebrated great success in skiing. The small country has won ten Olympic medals so far, all through success in skiing – most recently with Tina Weirather. Now Liechtenstein also has the highest ski official with Alexander Ospelt as FIS President. 13
