Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation -FIS-, will be able to seek re-election as a candidate from Georgia, despite his public profile as a Swedish-British sports leader. FIS itself included him on the official list of presidential candidates as Johan Eliasch -GEO-, a designation that has opened a controversy over the use of nationality, national federation nominations and the regulatory routes available to remain at the head of an Olympic international federation.

The move is especially striking because Eliasch was born in Sweden, also holds British citizenship and was nominated by the United Kingdom in previous processes. A British businessman of Swedish origin and former owner of ski brand HEAD, he has historically run with links to those two national references, but this time neither the British nor the Swedish federation has backed his candidacy for the FIS presidency. The route chosen has been Georgia, after he obtained citizenship of the Caucasus country, according to Swedish media citing news agency TT.

The FIS rule linking candidacy, federation and passport

A key part of the case lies in the FIS statutes. Candidates for the presidency and the Council must be nominated by a national member association at least 60 days before the opening of the Congress, in accordance with article 10.10.1.1 of the federation’s regulations. In addition, reports published on the process underline that the candidate must hold a valid passport from the country whose federation submits the nomination, making the Georgian route the central element of Eliasch’s candidacy.

The controversy is not only that Eliasch appears on the list, but the path taken to get there. After failing to secure the support of his two most direct national frameworks, the FIS president has found in the Georgian Ski Federation a regulatory route to meet the electoral requirements, although the sources consulted do not point to any clear prior sporting or institutional relationship between the official and Georgia.

Sweden and the United Kingdom leave Eliasch without direct backing

The rejection or lack of support from Sweden and the United Kingdom comes in a context of political wear within the FIS. The United Kingdom has nominated Victoria Gosling, chief executive of GB Snowsport, as a candidate for the presidency, while Sweden has backed Karin Mattsson to continue on the Council of the international federation. There is no single official explanation from either federation for the decision not to nominate Eliasch, but AP has noted that he has often been unpopular among European ski officials, while other specialised media have linked the election race to criticism of his leadership style.

Eliasch became FIS president in 2021, after succeeding Gian-Franco Kasper and defeating Swiss candidate Urs Lehmann in a contested election, and was re-elected in 2022 in a process that already showed signs of internal division. Since then, his mandate has been marked by an agenda of modernisation, commercial development and global expansion for snow sports, but also by criticism from sectors that view his management as too centralised, especially among European and Alpine federations.

An election with Olympic dimension and five candidates in Belgrade

The presidential election will take place during the FIS Congress, scheduled for 10 and 11 June 2026 in Belgrade, Serbia. The official list includes five candidates for the presidency: Johan Eliasch -GEO-, Anna Harboe Falkenberg -DEN-, Victoria Gosling -GBR-, Alexander Ospelt -LIE- and Dexter Paine -USA-. FIS has said the final list of eligible candidates will be announced after review by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

The case also has an Olympic dimension because Eliasch not only presides over one of the leading international federations for winter sports, but is also a member of the International Olympic Committee -IOC-. AP recalls that he was classified as a British candidate when he ran for the IOC presidency in 2025, an election won by Kirsty Coventry, and he will now seek re-election at FIS from Georgia, in a vote that will decide whether he keeps control of the federation until the next Olympic cycle.