FIS MEDIA INFO: Decisions of the 45th International Ski Congress in Vilamoura/Algarve (POR)

Vilamoura, May 26th, 2006 – Conscious of the importance of its decisions for the future development of the sport of skiing, the 45th International Ski Congress, convening today in Vilamoura/Algarve (POR), has made the following decisions:

Decisions directly related to the ski sports

• Acceptance of Ladies’ Ski Jumping into the program of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Pending approval by the organizer, an individual event on the normal hill could be included as soon as at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec (CZE) and a team event as of the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo (NOR). The Congress also decided to submit a proposal to the International Olympic Committee to include a Ladies Ski Jumping event in the program of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver (CAN) in 2010.
• Inclusion of a Nordic Combined Mass Start competition into the program of the FIS Nordic World Championships. Pending approval by the organizer, the event could be introduced as early as at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec (CZE).
• Increase of the maximum age for athletes at the Junior World Ski Championships in Ski Jumping from 18 to 20.
• Rejection of an introduction of FIS World Championships in Long Distance Cross-Country Skiing. As an alternative, the Congress asked the Cross-Country Committee to investigate the options for increasing the length of the longest Cross-Country Skiing race on the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships program.
• Adoption of detailed criteria for FIS disciplines and events, including the possibility of exclusion of a discipline from FIS when it is no longer practiced in at least twelve National Ski Associations on at least two continents. Moreover, the Congress decided that the status of FIS World Championships and FIS Junior World Championships in all disciplines may only be afforded when there are a minimum of eight (8) nations participating/represented in a competition.

Financial and administrative decisions

• Award of total of CHF 19 million in direct support from FIS to the member National Ski Associations during the 2006-07 financial period, comprising of a special distribution from the result of the 2004-05 period of CHF 9 million and National Ski Association financial support for the 2006-07 period of CHF 10 million.
• Decision to jointly procure timing services for the FIS Alpine World Cup.
• Re-election of Gian-Franco Kasper as FIS President for a four-year term. Election of the members of the FIS Council for a two-year term, consisting of Gaetano Coppi (ITA), Jaakko Holkeri (FIN, new), Yoshiro Ito (JPN), Milan Jirasek (CZE), Janez Kocijancic (SLO), Sung-Won Lee (KOR), Bill Marolt (USA), Eduardo Roldan (SPA, new), Pablo Rosenkjer (ARG), Peter Schröcksnadel (AUT), Sverre Seeberg (NOR), Patrick Smith (CAN), Carl Eric Stålberg (SWE), Leonid Tyagachev (RUS, new), Michel Vion (FRA) and Fritz Wagnerberger (GER).
• Affiliation of the Alpine Skiing Federation of the Republic of Armenia as a Full Member of FIS, and affiliation of Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Ethiopia, Ghana and Madagascar as Associated Members.
• Appointment of Anatolij Akentiev (RUS) as Honorary Member of FIS.
• Publication of the Official FIS Bulletin once yearly beginning with the issue #156, supported by weekly electronic communications in the form of the FIS Newsflash.