During an online meeting last Friday, the FIS Council decided that the 52nd FIS Congress 2020 will be postponed from 4th October in Zurich (SUI) until 5th June 2021 in Portoroz (SLO) to protect the health and welfare of all participants.
The FIS Technical Committee Meetings scheduled during the Congress week in Zurich from 29th September to 2nd October will also not take place in person, but will proceed as online-meetings during the same dates.
The following day, October 3rd, the Council will convene online for the highly-anticipated election of the Organisers for the FIS World Ski Championships 2025 in the Alpine and Nordic Events. Each of the four Candidates will make its final presentation by video prior to the election of the two Organisers.
The Council decision to postpone the FIS Congress 2020 is based on the FIS policy of respecting that the health and safety of all participants at all of its events as the highest priority. On the advice of the FIS Medical Committee Expert Group, organising the FIS Congress in October would not meet these standards of safety. Additionally, the current travel restrictions subject participants from many of the FIS member National Ski Associations' countries to quarantine and other restrictions.
“Today was both a difficult yet easy decision for the FIS Council to make,” said FIS President Gian Franco Kasper. “The current status of the Covid-19 outbreak globally and the resulting travel restrictions made it clear that this was not the time to bring our global FIS Family together. However, it is very difficult for FIS to delay the Congress until next Spring. The Congress is the backbone of our democratic process and governance and we do not take its postponement lightly. Nevertheless, we look forward to the day when all FIS stakeholders will meet together next Spring in Portoroz.”
Details about arrangements for the FIS Congress “2020” will be communicated after the FIS Council Meeting on Friday 9th October 2020. The dates and location in Spring 2021 are already defined from Sunday 30th May to 5th June in Portoroz (SLO) for the scheduled FIS Committee Meetings.