FIS votes on new leader - Federation focus

(ATR) The International Ski Federation (FIS) will choose the fifth president in its 97-year history in a virtual election on June 4.

There are four candidates running to succeed Gian Franco Kasper, who is stepping down after serving since 1998. FIS has had only two presidents in the past 70 years.

The candidates are recently re-elected Swedish NOC president and FIS vice-president Mats Årjes, HEAD sporting goods chief executive officer Johan Eliasch, Swiss Ski Federation president and downhill world champion Urs Lehmann and former FIS secretary general Sarah Lewis.

Årjes, Eliasch and Lehmann have also been nominated among 20 candidates for the 16-member FIS Council should they not be elected as president. The council election follows the presidential election.

The twice-postponed election had been scheduled for the 52nd FIS Congress in Portoroz, Slovenia, before the FIS Council made an April 1 decision to hold it virtually to ensure the health and safety of all parties.

Those who win election will only serve a term that lasts until the 53nd FIS Congress, scheduled for late Spring 2022.

For more information on the candidates and their assessments, ideas and opinions about the chances for successful Winter Games next February, click here.

For a look back at Kasper’s time as FIS president, click here.

FINA Elections on Saturday

Husain Al-Musallam of Kuwait is running unopposed for president of the International Swimming Federation on June 5.

Elections will highlight the FINA General Congress on Saturday. It is being held in Doha, Qatar, but due to the pandemic will be a hybrid event with members allowed to attend either in-person or virtually.

A web-based system will be used for voting in the elections.

Al-Musallam, the current FINA first vice president, will be succeeding Julio Maglione, 85, who has been president since 2009.

In addition to president, FINA members will also vote for Vice Presidents, Bureau members, Treasurer, the recommendations of the Bureau pertaining to the election of the Audit Committee’s members and the proposals of the Bureau pertaining to the election of the Ethics Panel’s members.

UCI Moves Forward on Sustainability

The world governing body of cycling takes the next step forward in its sustainability strategy and commits to better gender representation in its governance.

A two-day meeting of the Management Committee of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) began at the Olympic House in Lausanne on Wednesday, though some members joined by videoconference.

Sustainability guidelines and sustainability targets were approved, following on from the meeting in February which produced the fundamental principles of the strategy aimed at making cycling one of the most sustainable sports in the world.

The guidelines are designed to provide information to all stakeholders so they can develop effective sustainability programs.

The nine targets, which begin in June 2021 and finish in 2030, include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from UCI and UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) operations to achieve carbon neutrality with a 45 percent reduction of absolute emissions by 2030; developing a carbon calculator tool for use by cycling stakeholders; and establishing a taskforce to guide the development of a strategy of equality, diversity and inclusion in cycling.

"The promotion of diversity, inclusion and equality occupies a fundamental place among our sustainability targets," said UCI president David Lappartient. "It is with this in mind that we have undertaken measures to enhance, respect and promote diversity in cycling, whether that is within our Federations and its bodies or on a wider world scale, via the UCI World Cycling Centre and the UCI’s solidarity programmes."

As part of the policy to promote women in governance, the UCI modified its Constitution to require that at least one Vice President of each gender is elected, for a total of four (three up until now). This provision, if approved by the UCI Congress in September, will then be applied for the election of the Vice Presidents from among the members of the Management Committee.

The Committee also applauded the smooth transition of cycling’s anti-doping operations to the International Testing Agency (ITA). The ITA, which took over from the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) on January 1, 2021, updated the committee on its recent efforts.

Federation Focus is presented by the International Weightlifting Federation. Click here for more on the IWF.

Written by Gerard Farek