FIS Council Prepares for FIS Congress

The FIS Council met on April 15, 2026, to finalize preparations for the 57th International Ski Congress, which is scheduled to take place in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 10 and 11, 2026.

The Council’s meeting focused on several key agenda items for the upcoming Congress, including the review of a preliminary budget for the 2026-27 financial year and updates regarding the governance of the federation.

Election Process and Candidatures

A central component of the upcoming Congress will be the elections for the office of the President and for 18 seats on the FIS Council. The FIS administration reported that a total of 28 candidatures were received by the deadline of April 13, 2026.

These candidatures have been submitted to the Nominations and Remuneration Committee for review. The FIS website will publish the candidature documents for all candidates on April 22, 2026.

Following the review process, the list of eligible candidates will be distributed to all National Ski Associations and published on the official FIS website on May 20, 2026, exactly 21 days before the scheduled election.

Membership and Governance Proposals

The FIS Council has agreed in principle to introduce a new membership category known as Affiliate Organization. This category is intended to allow the FIS to formally engage with strategic partners and organizations operating within the ski and snowboard sectors.

This proposal will be submitted to the FIS Congress for final approval. The Congress will review requests from Belize and Guinea-Bissau to change their status from Associate Member to Full Member, as well as a request for Ski and Snowboard India to be reestablished as a Full Member.

The Council also approved an amendment to the International Ski and Snowboard Competition Rules (ICR). This change establishes education and knowledge-building as an integral part of the FIS system, specifically applying to all technical officials.

Athlete Safety and Technical Oversight

The groundwork for the Congress follows a series of ongoing safety initiatives. In October 2025, the FIS Council approved measures to enhance safety culture, with a specific focus on Alpine Skiing speed disciplines.

Key safety actions include a detailed audit of all homologated Downhill training courses worldwide to ensure compliance with safety requirements, a process slated for completion by the FIS Spring Meetings in May 2026.

Further safety protocols include the mandatory use of airbags during both training and competition. A specialist workstream, led by Peter Gerdol and Markus Waldner, the Chief Race Directors, is currently developing new proposals to raise safety standards for implementation in the 2026/27 season.

Upcoming FIS Schedule

Before the Congress convenes in June, the FIS Technical Committee will hold its Spring Meetings from May 4 to May 7, 2026, at the Grand Hotel Bernardin in Portoroz, Slovenia.

Following the Belgrade Congress, the FIS Technical Committee is scheduled to meet again for its Autumn Meetings from September 29 to October 2, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland.

As the highest decision-making authority within the FIS, the Congress in Belgrade will gather over 1,000 delegates to modify Statutes and Competition Rules, approve the budget and grant discharge to the Council.