Eliasch Loses His Post as FIS President – Ospelt Takes Over

Alexander Ospelt is the new president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). The Liechtenstein native won the election at the congress in Belgrade against the incumbent, Johan Eliasch.

Keystone-SDA

11.06.2026, 11:30•11.06.2026, 13:24

The counting of the ballots—75 nations cast a total of 129 votes—revealed the closest possible result. Ospelt secured 65 votes, achieving exactly the necessary absolute majority, while Eliasch received 64 votes.

With Ospelt, elected for a four-year term, at the helm, representatives of the major national federations hope that the FIS can be steered back into calmer waters, and that calm, objectivity, and transparency can be restored to the governing body of international snow sports.

Eliasch had alienated his colleagues on the FIS committees and the representatives of many affiliated federations with his business conduct and his style of leading the federation. His unilateral actions and decisions—often made without consulting other decision-makers—caused friction and ultimately led to a rift.

The most significant of the many points of criticism turned out to be the financial situation of the FIS, which was visibly deteriorating—prompting representatives from Ski Austria and Swiss-Ski, among others, sound the alarm and warn that the world federation risked collapse if business practices remained unchanged.

Successor Ospelt is already very familiar with the FIS

The warnings did not fail to have an effect. Even smaller federations—whose votes had helped Eliasch win the presidential election five years ago, notably against the then-Swiss-Ski chairman Urs Lehmann—no longer saw a future with the Swedish-British businessman at the helm. Apparently, Eliasch’s harshest critics succeeded in convincing even many of his former supporters that a fresh start was needed and that a return to tried-and-true values was essential for a successful future for the FIS.

The relief following the announcement of the election results was correspondingly great. With Alexander Ospelt, a lawyer with a doctorate and his own law firm in Schaan, the era of turmoil is expected to come to an end, and the FIS is to be led once again in the spirit of the cause. The former president of the Liechtenstein Ski Association is already very familiar with the FIS. He has been a member of the Council for two years.