An allegedly rejected investor offer of 400 million euros to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS is causing a stir.
Following media reports from "Blick" and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" about a fire letter from a number of top athletes and top international officials, the FIS itself has now taken a stand on the matter.
What is it all about? On November 30, the financial company CVC is said to have offered the FIS the opportunity to purchase 400 million euros and take over the central marketing of media and sponsorship rights together with the individual winter sports federations. The FIS is said to have rejected the offer.
Parts of the skiing world reacted indignantly in a letter to the world federation: among the signatories of the letter were apparently ski stars such as Marco Odermatt, Lara Gut-Behrami and Mikaela Shiffrin.
FIS feels "well capitalized"
The letter suggests that CVC's offer was rejected without proper consideration because the FIS is already working with the company Infront to centralize international media rights, the world federation has now announced. "This claim is false," said the FIS.
"CVC's proposal had nothing to do with the centralization of media and broadcasting rights," it continued. "It was an investment proposal for the creation of a joint venture to manage all commercial rights related to FIS and its member federations." The ongoing process with Infront would not prevent such a collaboration.
FIS, she explained, had not rejected CVC's proposal. However, it had outlined that it was currently "well capitalized" and did not need additional funds to implement its strategic plan. The CVC draft had not been given any significant details.
Eliasch in the crossfire
The FIS, she continued, "remains committed to initiatives that are consistent with its strategic vision and promote the long-term growth and success of winter sports". Some doubt this. According to the reports, the protest letter from athletes and officials to the FIS spoke of a "noticeable lack of progress".
Eliasch, who was elected FIS President in 2021, is highly controversial and centralized marketing is one of his major goals. Until now, each federation has decided on the international media rights for events in their own country. The German Ski Association (DSV) took legal action against the FIS's plans and was proven right by the Munich Regional Court in October. While the Austrian Ski Association has also filed a lawsuit, Swiss-Ski has not yet taken any legal action.
SDA
