FIS President Johan Eliasch Seeks Georgian Citizenship for Third Term Bid
FIS President Johan Eliasch is pursuing Georgian citizenship to remain eligible for a third term as president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, after being denied nomination by his home countries of Sweden and the UK.
The Swedish-British businessman announced his candidacy through the Georgian Ski Federation, according to reports from German media outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Eliasch needs a valid passport from the nominating member federation to comply with FIS statutes requiring election candidates to “possess a valid passport of the nationality of their nominating member association.”
Sweden and Great Britain had previously declared they would not nominate the controversial FIS president for re-election. The Georgian association initially provided no details about the background of Eliasch’s citizenship pursuit, though earlier reports had speculated he might seek an Armenian passport instead.
Eliasch, who succeeded long-time president Gian-Franco Kasper in 2021, faced controversy during his 2022 re-election when voters could only choose to support him or abstain — a “no” vote was not an option. The German Ski Federation (DSV) criticized the process as a “farce.”
The FIS will submit a list of eligible candidates to its member associations on May 20 following review by an international panel. The actual election is scheduled for June 11 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Besides Eliasch, other candidates include Alexander Ospelt of Liechtenstein, Anna Harboe Falkenberg of Denmark, Dexter Paine of the United States, and Victoria Gosling of Great Britain.
Eliasch has been majority owner of sporting goods company Head since before his FIS presidency, a fact that drew scrutiny when Head entered a business agreement with FIS during his tenure. Eliasch has denied any conflict of interest.
Under Eliasch’s leadership, FIS has lost all legal proceedings stemming from a lawsuit by a former executive of an FIS subsidiary, resulting in court-ordered debt collection efforts against the federation.
The pursuit of Georgian citizenship represents Eliasch’s latest attempt to circumvent eligibility requirements that would otherwise prevent his re-election bid.
The June 11 election in Belgrade will determine whether Eliasch secures a third term leading the global ski and snowboard governing body.
Stay tuned for updates on the FIS presidential election as the May 20 candidate list release approaches.
