Swiss ski stars reject FIS plan for annual World Championships as Marco Odermatt floats alternative

FIS calendar expansion and financial pressures

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is discussing plans to host Alpine World Championships in every non-Olympic year, shifting from the traditional biennial cycle. FIS President Alexander Ospelt presented the concept to address federation finances following a drop in capital reserves from 81 million Swiss francs to 43 million Swiss francs during the five-year tenure of former president Johan Eliasch. Federation leadership aims to stage events in Asian markets including China, Japan, and South Korea to secure new commercial revenue. The proposed format also provides calendar certainty by filling the February competition window without requiring stopgap World Cup host venues. Swiss-Ski co-CEO Diego Züger expressed openness to analyzing the proposal, while the Austrian Ski Federation met with Ospelt in Oberhofen to express formal reservations.

Athlete pushback at Swiss-Ski media week

Swiss national team members voiced widespread resistance to the annual championship plan during the federation promotional week in Dubendorf. Competitors including Daniel Yule, Wendy Holdener, and Corinne Suter argued that doubling the frequency of championships diminishes the exclusivity and prestige of winning gold. Thomas Tumler compared the proposal to staging double giant slalom weekends in Adelboden or Alta Badia, where repetitive racing reduces individual race significance. Loïc Meillard acknowledged that the schedule change would deliver financial gains to the governing body, yet maintained that creating more medalists each winter weakens the achievement.

Franjo von Allmen dismissed the reform in blunt terms:

I think it is shit. That completely minimizes the value of a World Championship. Then it might as well be a normal World Cup race. I think it is good the way it is, with the rhythm every two years.

Odermatt floats alternative championship model

Five-time overall World Cup champion Marco Odermatt aligned with teammates against annual world championships, warning that sports such as cycling and ice hockey saw medal prestige decline under yearly formats. Rather than repeating traditional championships, Odermatt proposed creating a standalone competition modelled on track and field's Ultimate Championships, which debuted with a 10 million dollar prize purse. The Swiss racer suggested hosting the compact event in Asia or an indoor facility in Dubai to generate fresh commercial income for skiers and organizers. Odermatt discussed the alternative format during conversations with Ospelt over the summer.

Odermatt explained his concept for unlocking commercial growth:

Why not follow the example of athletics and create a completely new format like the Ultimate Championships? As far as I am concerned, this event could also take place in an indoor ski hall in Dubai. The priority should be that skiing and we athletes tap into new money sources and earn good money with it.

Preparations continue for Sölden opener

The calendar dispute coincides with preparations for the World Cup season opener scheduled for 25 October in Sölden. Odermatt resumed physical conditioning after suffering a thigh muscle strain in mid-August that delayed his on-snow training schedule by approximately one week. The racer returned to weight room sessions on Thursday, expressing confidence in his baseline preparation despite the lost snow days. Discussions regarding the proposed championship calendar and wider federation finances will continue across working sessions at the FIS autumn meeting in Geneva.