Next season, ski star Marcel Hirscher will be able to start earlier than originally thought thanks to a wildcard. But various ski associations are rumbling - and the FIS is having second thoughts.
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- Marcel Hirscher will return to the Ski World Cup for the Netherlands next winter.
- A wild card should enable the eight-time overall World Cup winner to start the season with bib number 31.
- The paddock and the federations are outraged that the decision was made by the FIS without consultation.
- FIS President Johan Eliasch is therefore reportedly considering a change to the wildcard rule.
At the end of July, it was announced that a so-called wild card would be used in the ski circuit from the new season. This would allow a lower starting number (31 instead of approx. 60) for former athletes who have either won the overall World Cup, a discipline or gold at the Olympic Games or World Championships.
In concrete terms, this would apply to Marcel Hirscher in the coming season. The Austrian, who will be competing for the Netherlands in the future, fulfills all criteria and conditions and could therefore apply for a wildcard.
However, the introduction of the wildcard caused a storm of indignation in the paddock. Mainly because the drivers were not involved in the decision. AJ Ginnis, for example, said that none of the athletes had been informed. Swiss slalom specialist Daniel Yule also underlined this in "Blick": "Nobody spoke to me about this wildcard. And if I had been asked, I would have said no to this plan."
Nothing learned from the past
ÖSV Managing Director Christian Scherer has now also spoken out in "Blick": "The behavior of the FIS is an absolute affront to the member federations. It is really very regrettable that the FIS has not learned anything from recent incidents - keyword fluorine ban - and unfortunately has not involved the expert committees accordingly. The current discussions could have been avoided altogether if a coordinated process had been followed and the stakeholders had been consulted."
As the "Blick" and the Austrian "Kronenzeitung" write, FIS President Johan Eliasch is "unpleasantly touched" by the huge criticism from the paddock. The FIS is therefore debating whether to adjust the recently introduced wild card rule.
