Skiing’s governing body has admitted it will have used all its cash reserves by 2028. A rescue plan was outlined at a recent meeting which the FIS says will help it recover from estimated annual losses of 20 million Swiss francs. Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin attempts to unravel how this will affect British skiing – particularly after the loss of Ski Sunday.
The FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) has a financial headache. And GB Snowsport should be asking whether British skiing could end up helping to pay for it.
The international governing body reports that its reserves have fallen 47% since 2021 and it now admits that its financial future is currently unsustainable. Staff have been cut and FIS is looking at ways of generating more revenue, including expanding its competition calendar.
On the face of it, more World Cup racing sounds like good news for British athletes. But who pays for the extra racing?
More events mean more travel, accommodation, coaching and support costs. If FIS reduces subsidies or passes more costs down to national federations, GB Snowsport will need to know exactly what benefit they will get from any increased investment in top level snowsport.
And there is another problem which FIS cannot solve with an extra race.
How do you make skiing more commercially attractive when one of its biggest shop windows in Britain has just disappeared?
Ski racing coverage
The BBC has axed Ski Sunday after almost 50 years, citing changing audience behaviour and financial pressures. The BBC says it remains committed to winter sport and will continue to show major events, but the loss of a dedicated weekly programme inevitably raises questions about how much regular World Cup skiing British viewers will see.
This matters because FIS itself says broadcasting is part of the problem. It says the value of World Championship rights has fallen while production costs have risen. At the same time, it wants to increase the value and reach of its sports.
So here is the irony. FIS needs skiing to become more commercially valuable just as British television is giving the sport less dedicated exposure.
GB Snowsport therefore has some searching questions to ask.
Will FIS’s financial problems increase the cost of competing internationally? Will Britain’s UK Sport funding have to cover any shortfall? And, with Ski Sunday gone, what is the strategy for keeping British athletes and World Cup skiing in front of a British audience?
There is no suggestion that FIS’s financial problems are about to derail British skiing. Indeed, a healthier FIS could ultimately mean more competitions, stronger broadcasting and greater commercial opportunities.
But GB Snowsport should be watching closely. More World Cups are only good for Britain if British athletes can afford to compete in them — and British audiences can still watch them.
Image: Photo by Michelle McEwen on Unsplash
