Crans-Montana's 2027 Alpine Worlds Hang In Balance As FIS Dispute With Swiss Ski Escalates - Update

The highly anticipated 2027 Alpine World Ski Championships in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, are facing uncertainty as a dispute between the International Ski Federation (FIS) and Swiss Ski, the national governing body, threatens to snatch away hosting rights.

Update

The FIS Council held a meeting on 19th February and one topic discussed was the recent media reports regarding the 2027 FIS Alpine World Ski Championship in Crans Montana (SUI).

The Council has agreed that all the involved parties and stakeholders should work with full focus on finding a solution in the near term that meets all of the obligations of hosting a major World Championship.

Crans-Montana was awarded the prestigious event in May 2022, beating out strong bids from Norway, Andorra, and Germany. However, FIS released a statement in October expressing concerns that Swiss Ski had not fulfilled key legal requirements outlined in their bid proposal.

The crux of the issue appears to be financial guarantees. FIS claims Swiss Ski hasn't secured sufficient financial backing to guarantee the smooth running of the championships, potentially exposing FIS to financial losses. According to FIS, these requirements were explicitly stated in the bid documentation and accepted by Swiss Ski.

Swiss Ski, on the other hand, maintains that they have met all necessary financial obligations and accuses FIS of unfairly shifting the goalposts. They argue that ongoing discussions about commercial aspects of the event, such as marketing rights, are being conflated with the financial guarantees concern.

The situation has become increasingly tense, with Swiss Ski reportedly considering legal action to challenge FIS's stance. Time is also running out, as crucial infrastructure upgrades and organizational planning require swift action.

Adding to the complexity, this dispute coincides with ongoing controversy surrounding FIS President Johan Eliasch's leadership. Some member nations expressed dissatisfaction with his reforms and boycotted a recent vote, raising questions about internal politics potentially influencing the Crans-Montana situation.

With less than three years until the event, the future of the 2027 Alpine Worlds remains in limbo. If FIS and Swiss Ski can't reach an amicable resolution, the prestigious championships could be relocated, leaving Crans-Montana and its supporters facing immense disappointment. Only time will tell if the slopes of Crans-Montana will grace the world's best skiers come 2027, or if another resort gets the chance to shine.

FIS has been asked a number of questions by the publication NZZ concerning the status of the hosting agreement for the Crans-Montana FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 which has not been signed. FIS has replied directly to NZZ, but to ensure fair and accurate reporting FIS has decided to publish its answers publicly. They say:

"Summary

All candidates for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 were required to give undertakings relating to financial guarantees, which are necessary to ensure that the parties to the contract are able to meet its contractual obligations. In its bid response, Swiss-Ski stated that financial guarantees had already been given by The Swiss Confederation, The Canton of Valais and The Association of Communes of Crans-Montana, a statement which FIS relied on.

Swiss-Ski has now stated to FIS that it is not possible for the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana to give the required financial guarantees without referenda and has asked to be exempted from giving the financial guarantees.

Consequently, it is clear that the confirmation in the bid submission by Swiss-Ski that the financial guarantees by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana had already been given, was indeed entirely false.

The FIS World Championships bidding process must be fair and transparent, and to grant an exemption to a candidate who has made false bid representations would be highly damaging to the integrity of the bidding process and ultimately the sport of skiing. FIS deeply regrets this very disappointing situation. If Swiss-Ski cannot fulfil its undertakings, FIS will have no alternative but to award the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 to another candidate.

Specifically, FIS has been asked the following questions by the publication NZZ:

1. Why FIS has not signed the hosting agreement for the 2027 Alpine World Championships in Crans Montana?

Put simply, Swiss-Ski has to date failed to comply with the legal requirements contained in its bid tohost the 2027 Alpine World Championships. When Swiss-Ski put itself forward as a candidate in 2021, like all other candidates, it was required to give certain confirmations and undertakings in the bid documentation. One of those undertakings relates to financial guarantees, which are necessary to ensure that the local organisers are able to meet the contractual obligations.

Therefore, like all other candidates, Swiss-Ski was required to confirm in its bid that it had obtained adequate financial guarantees. Accordingly, in its bid response, Swiss-Ski confirmed that financial guarantees had already been given by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana, parties who have adequate resources to cover the contractual obligations under the hosting agreement. Without these confirmations, Swiss-Ski simply would not have been awarded the 2027 Alpine World Championships.

Swiss-Ski has now stated to FIS that it is not possible for the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana to give the required financial guarantees without referenda, and has asked to be exempted from giving the financial guarantees.

Consequently, it is clear that the confirmation in the bid submission by Swiss-Ski that the financial guarantees by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana had already been given, was indeed entirely false.

Without adequate financial guarantees, FIS is not in a position to sign the Crans Montana hosting agreement. The financial guarantee was a fundamental part of the bidding process and the 2027 World Championships would not have been awarded to Crans Montana or any other bidder without it.

2. What happens if no solution can be found?

If Swiss-Ski cannot comply with its undertakings, FIS will have no alternative but to award the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 to another candidate. It would be entirely unfair on the other candidates for FIS to proceed with Crans Montana in circumstances where the legal requirements of the bid have not been met. Furthermore, FIS may itself become liable for losses arising should it fail to ensure adequate financial guarantees are in place.

The FIS World Championship bidding process must be fair and transparent, and to grant an exemption to a candidate who has made false bid representations about a material bid requirement - as Swiss-Ski has done - would be highly damaging to the integrity of the bidding process and ultimately the sport of skiing. FIS deeply regrets this very disappointing situation.

3. Swiss-Ski has been pointing towards the 2025 Freestyle World Championships exemption…

This is correct, but this event is not comparable to the Crans Montana Alpine World Championships. It has contractual obligations which can easily be met by Swiss-Ski and represent a small fraction of those for the Alpine World Championships."