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THE was a queue of sports celebrities who lifted the Swedish/British billionaire Johan Eliasch to the ski throne. When this rich man took over as president of the International Ski Federation (FIS) three years ago, it happened with the recommendation of the the world’s biggest stars:
- Mountaineers Lindsey Vonn, Hermann Maier, Franz Klammer, Aksel Lund Svindal and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde supported him, along with tennis legends Bjørn Borg and John McEnroe.
Plus with a pat on the back from the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and celebrity photos with the climate friend Arnold Schwartzenegger, there was enough PR before Eliasch won a crushing victory in the presidential election at the FIS congress in 2021.
But it was also for Vladimir Putin and Russia invaded Ukraine.
And the celebrities, NRK and the general public began to realize that in reality was a Putin friend who suddenly had a hold on international skiing.
HOW the acquaintance and friendship really is between Eliasch and his former traveling companion Putin, it is not easy to know. When Eliasch was challenged by Sweden’s Television (SVT) a year and a half ago about his connection to Putin’s Russia, the FIS president refused to talk about politics.
Both then and later, he pushed IOC president Thomas Bach ahead of him on the question of whether Putin’s skiing heroes should be allowed to compete internationally again while the carnage in Ukraine continues.
– We will follow what the IOC saysEliasch stated in a Dagblad interview when it became increasingly clear that it was Thomas Bach who opened the door for Russian participation.
Now, in practice, it is each sport itself that decides which of Putin’s propaganda heroes gets to return to the World Cup and Olympics, and then there is every reason to follow how Johan Eliasch maneuvers behind the scenes to get Russia back on board.
For those who abhor Putin-Russia propaganda, he is the sport’s most dangerous man.
Removing Putin’s ski enemy
THEREFORE is it disgusting to see how increasingly authoritarian Johan Eliasch governs the International Skiing Association.
The other day, he was approved by the FIS board for the heart issue of centralizing all TV revenues. Amassing the money power in FIS has always been Eliasch’s plan, but along the way he has been so self-willed that his behavior has shaken the biggest skin nations.
That Eliasch finally got his way, so be it. It is quite possible that the sport of skiing benefits from collecting the management of the TV money.
The problem is the way this decision took place on
Jokes in the WC city
FOR demanded Johan Eliasch at the decisive moment secret ballot. Where the FIS rules dictate that the decisions should normally be made by the board members voting by raising their hands, Eliasch suddenly pulled the curtain on:
- No one was to know who finally gave him the victory.
This is how the FIS president tightens control towards a much more important decision.
For Johan Eliasch, his next move will soon be to invite Russia to this winter’s Ski World Championships in Trondheim.
Provoking Norway!
THE The next few weeks will show if he can do it. Tomorrow begins the usual spring meeting for skiing. In practice, both the practice and the race program are decided there.
At the same time, this gathering gives the FIS president’s opponents the opportunity to discuss how they can curb the boss’s Putin-friendliness.
Because now it’s urgent.
ABOUT in less than a month, a new board will be elected in the International Skiing Association. What is clear is that Erik Røste; the board’s clearest Putin opponent, disappears.
He will probably be replaced by ski president Tove Moe Dyrhaug. She has exactly the same solid no position when it comes to Russian World Cup participation, but naturally lacks experience in standing up to Johan Eliasch.
She must get it quickly.
Ugly done!
FOR precisely the composition of this new FIS board, opens the door for a quick move from Eliasch. He has previously took Putin’s side when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has tried to stop Russian state doping. After the initial shock over the attack on Ukraine, he has been constantly working harder behind the scenes to get the Russians on board.
The occasion may come directly after the election of a new board. If so, the WC organizers in Trondheim are in trouble. They have signed a contract with FIS which makes it legally very difficult to come up with a particularly Norwegian no to Russian participation.
This is decided by the FIS’ Russia judgment
THE this is where the Støre government comes in.
The last time when Norwegian skiing excluded Putin’s cross-country heroes, the Ski Association had to make the decision alone to deny the Russians the start. In the confusion immediately after the invasion of Ukraine, it was inno help to get from the government.
Now a move from the government will quickly become Norwegian skiing’s only emergency exit:
- An official no to entry for Putin’s sports heroes, the FIS has to accept.
Then the alternative is to find a new WC organizer in Europe, and it gets complicated. With the increasingly strict Western sanctions against Putin’s warfare, a Norwegian no could mean that the authorities of other countries follow suit. That they also refuse Russian athletes to come.
In this way, Johan Eliasch may still be forced to give up.
