Fight for ski rights: Historical deal brings new times for sport!

Fight for ski rights: Historical deal brings new times for sport!

In a groundbreaking step, the Ski World Association FIS took a central marketing agreement with the Infront agency after long negotiations. From the 2026/27 season, infront will bundle media rights for the World Cups of various winter sports, which represents a groundbreaking change in the marketing of winter sports events. This announced FIS President Johan Eliasch and emphasized the importance of this agreement to maximize the commercial value and to increase the prize money for athletes. Several national associations, especially from Switzerland, the USA and Canada, have joined this deal. Only the Austrian Ski Association remains skeptical and rejects the central marketing, as has already been reported by Sportschau.de

unity despite resistance

The negotiations were not easy because there were different views of marketing. National associations, including the German Ski Association (DSV), had expressed that they feared for their say. After a successful legal proceedings in Munich, which the DSV had initiated, enough countries of joint marketing finally agreed. The FIS board also passed a long-term calendar frame by 2033/34, which should offer planning security. A new governance framework is implemented, which will include various decision-making bodies to promote the transparency and participation of everyone involved, according to Eliasch, according to vienna.at .

While the agreement promises great upswing, the ÖSV remains cautious and intended to maintain existing contracts with the IMG agency. There is also an ongoing legal proceedings that questions the admissibility of the FIS procedure in relation to the World Cup rights. The FIS board was conscientious and open to the concerns of the national associations, which were able to reach an agreement with each other, despite considerable concerns and internal conflicts.