Ski World Cup: Prize money, new safety rules now mandatory!

Ski World Cup: Prize money, new safety rules now mandatory!

The International Ski Association (FIS) has decided significant innovations for the upcoming World Cup season, which concern both the financial remuneration of the athletes and their security. These changes were announced during the current FIS Congress in Geneva. FIS President Johan Eliasch emphasized that the increase in prize money is an important step on a long way to remuneration of the athletes. The minimum prize money is raised by up to 20 percent, whereby the FIS itself guarantees that at least 10 percent of the increase will come. Another 10 percent can voluntarily add local organizational committees, which further increases the financial support for the athletes. Laut kleinezeitung.at ist dies Teil des Bestrebens, die Entlohnung fairer zu gestalten und die Motivation aller Teilnehmer zu erhöhen.

Another essential point of the FIS resolutions concerns the security in alpine skiing. From the competition winter 2025/26, the use of airbags in speed disciplines becomes mandatory. This is followed by increased security concerns, especially after the fall of athletes such as Cyprien Sarrazin, who raised the discussion about shin legs. In the future, fixed shin deposits made of carbon used by some athletes will be banned. Instead, only softer materials such as gel or foam may be used in medical indication. This regulation is intended to help minimize injuries and to ensure the health of the athletes, such as ski1.at

mandatory security measures

With the introduction of the airbag obligation, wearing cutting-resistant underwear is mandatory. These measures apply not only to the World Cups, but also to the continental series, such as the European Cup. The FIS has put together a comprehensive security package that focuses on the athletes. This should help increase security standards in skiing and reduce the risk of serious injuries. So far there have been exceptional permits for the use of airbags, but many athletes dealt with this regulation, which is now to be changed by the binding requirements.

The decisions of the FIS to increase the prize and the security measures mark an important turning point in alpine skiing, which both provides financial incentives and prioritizes the security of the athletes, such as oe24.at summarized.