Johan Eliasch is the FIS president and IOC member. Picture: Courtesy of IOC
Johan Eliasch Embraces IOC Candidacy and Pushes for Local weather Motion as Coventry Prepares to Lead
Eliasch – the present president of the Worldwide Ski Federation (FIS) and a lately elected member of the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) – ran for IOC president in an election gained by Kirsty Coventry, an Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe. Regardless of the end result, Eliasch believes that his candidacy and presence on the latest IOC Session in Greece as the one candidate representing a winter sports activities federation helped spark additional dialogue about local weather change points throughout the highly effective sports activities physique. The longer term IOC President Coventry additionally shared her ideas about coping with U.S. President Donald Trump because the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics strategy.
Coventry Makes Historical past
Eliasch could have failed in his bid to turn out to be president of the Worldwide Olympic Committee, however he acknowledged that his candidacy proved extremely useful and enlightening.
The FIS chief stated he achieved a number of aims as IOC members overwhelmingly voted for Coventry as the brand new president on the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece, on March 20. The 41-year-old Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe obtained 49 out of a possible 97 votes, claiming victory with a first-round majority in a secret poll election.
Coventry will quickly turn out to be the tenth IOC president and the primary lady to steer the world’s most influential sports-governing physique.
“I’m 100% behind her. The membership has spoken,” Eliasch stated. “We’ve got the best particular person in the best place, and I’m positive she’s going to make an amazing president. It was a really clear end result. She deserved the victory.”
When requested if Coventry’s first-round triumph was sudden, Eliasch responded, “It was a shock, nevertheless it reveals the religion that the membership has in her capacity to steer the group.
“I feel it’s all the time necessary to have the best particular person in the best place, and I’m very completely satisfied that it’s a lady,” he stated, when requested if it was necessary to elect the primary feminine president. “I hope she will likely be very profitable as president, and I’ll assist her in any approach that I can.”
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A First for Girls and Africa
A five-time Olympian in swimming from Zimbabwe, Coventry served her nation as Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Tradition. She has been an IOC member since 2013 and is the previous chair of the IOC Athletes Fee. The seven-time Olympic medalist—together with two golds within the backstroke—competed as an NCAA student-athlete at Auburn College.
At 41, Coventry would be the second youngest IOC president within the group’s 129-year historical past. The president-elect will formally take over on June 24, when President Thomas Bach steps down after 12 years on the group’s helm.
Coventry would be the first African to imagine the IOC presidency. She can be probably the most embellished Olympian from Africa.
With the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Video games now lower than ten months away, Ski Racing Media requested Eliasch if he has invited the subsequent IOC president snowboarding but. The ski federation boss smiled: “No, not but, however that’s one thing we’ve got to work on.”
An Invaluable Expertise for a Rookie IOC Member
Eliasch outlined his major aims and what he in the end achieved by means of his IOC presidential candidacy. He pursued a place usually thought of probably the most highly effective job in world sports activities. Making the duty much more daunting, the skilled sports activities and enterprise chief solely joined the IOC in July 2024.
“There’s a lot good that has come out of this marketing campaign. I had two aims going into it— in fact, to win the election, but additionally to contribute to the motion and develop with the game,” Eliasch stated, as one in every of seven candidates who sought the place. “I undoubtedly succeeded with the latter, and I’m completely satisfied about that.”
The 63-year-old known as his participation within the 144th IOC Session within the Greek coastal resort—attended by 106 IOC members and different influential sport leaders—a useful studying expertise.
“It was a crash course studying and attending to know the entire membership. That was nice,” Eliasch stated. “It was an exquisite expertise studying much more in regards to the motion and the way extremely robust our motion is.
“We’re probably the most profitable motion within the historical past of humankind,” he stated, with nice confidence.
Eliasch Pushes Local weather Motion Throughout the IOC
Eliasch believes his candidacy and presence on the IOC gathering in Greece—the place he shared his beliefs and sustainable targets addressing local weather change—helped increase consciousness about difficult threats to snowboarding and winter sports activities.
“This has given winter sport the chance to have a stronger voice within the motion than common, addressing crucial matters on the agenda to ensure that we keep forward of the curve,” he stated. “Many good concepts have come out of this.
“That is necessary as a result of we’ve got challenges with local weather change, excessive climate, and which areas to go to. I feel what has come into focus right here is the significance of sustainability, notably for the youthful era, however additionally it is one thing that everybody will scrutinize.
“Tackling local weather change stays a prime precedence. It threatens not simply the way forward for winter sports activities, however our world lifestyle. The Olympic Motion should lead by instance, turning values into motion and galvanizing extra sustainable decisions all through society.”
Future Cooperation with Coventry
Gian Franco Kasper maintained a fruitful working relationship with Bach throughout his tenure as FIS president. Throughout their cooperation, quite a few snowboarding and snowboarding occasions entered the Olympic program. Eliasch goals to develop an analogous bond with Coventry.
“The FIS has lengthy loved a powerful and constructive relationship with the IOC, as the most important and most influential winter sports activities federation,” Eliasch stated. “We acknowledge the significance of constant that custom beneath the management of President-elect Coventry.
“Her deep Olympic expertise and dedication to athlete-focused governance provide an amazing basis for collaboration. We sit up for constructing a detailed, productive partnership along with her to make sure that the Olympic Motion continues to thrive and that snow sports activities keep a central and dynamic position inside it.
“By working collectively, we are able to promote innovation, improve world engagement, and create new alternatives for athletes, followers, and future generations,” he stated.
Coventry Confronts Key Olympic Challenges
Earlier than the Olympic swimmer may even catch her breath after the historic triumph, Coventry confronted questions from worldwide media about quick challenges and divisive points surrounding the Olympic Video games and world sport.
Subjects included doping in sports activities, coping with U.S. President Donald Trump concerning the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Video games, and consideration of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes again into Olympic competitors.
“As an Olympian and former athlete, with regards to anti-doping, it’s extremely necessary that our athletes and whole motion be held to the identical requirements,” the IOC president-elect stated. “I gained’t ever waver from that, however we could have a bit of labor to do to ensure that it’s truly put into place.”
Future Olympic Relations with Donald Trump
Coventry stated she feels ready to work with the U.S. president because the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Video games strategy in three years.
“When it comes to with regards to the USA and L.A., I’ve been coping with, let’s say, troublesome males in excessive positions since I used to be 20 years outdated,” she stated. “Before everything, what I’ve discovered is that communication would be the key. That may occur early on. It’s my agency perception that President Trump loves sports activities.
“He’ll need these Video games to be important and be a hit.”
She asserted, “We’ll not waver from our values of solidarity and guaranteeing each athlete that qualifies for the Olympic Video games the likelihood to attend the Olympic Video games and be protected through the Olympic Video games.”
Russian and Belarusian Athletes Stay in Limbo
Coventry should additionally navigate political stress about probably reinstating Russian athletes for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Video games. Their exclusion from Olympic competitors dates again to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the continuing warfare.
“I wish to arrange a process power that tries to outline insurance policies and guiding frameworks that might be used to make choices throughout a battle,” she acknowledged. “I feel you must take each state of affairs under consideration.”
Pressed about their standing for the 2026 Winter Video games in Italy, Coventry wouldn’t elaborate. “We are going to focus on that with the duty power,” she stated.
Trying Forward: What’s Subsequent for Winter Sports activities and the IOC
Eliasch sees a chance for snow sports activities to take a stronger position throughout the Olympic Motion because the world adapts to local weather realities, shifting audiences, and evolving expectations. He believes winter sport holds highly effective storytelling potential that may resonate with youthful generations, particularly when paired with innovation and a transparent dedication to sustainability.
He stays targeted on strengthening winter sports activities’ place throughout the Olympic agenda by encouraging world engagement, advocating for sustainable practices, and deepening collaboration throughout federations. Eliasch’s work is way from over. He intends to advertise a future the place snow sports activities are thriving, related, and central to the Olympic imaginative and prescient.
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