From 27th to 29th September 2023, Zurich was the epicenter of the snowsports community, as it played host to the annual autumn FIS Committee Meetings. These essential forums spanned various subcommittees, including as Freestyle Ski, Alpine Ski Cross, Freeski and Snowboard Park & Pipe, Snowboard Alpine, and Snowboard Cross. The week culminated with the Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski “Supercommittee” meeting on Friday.
While the sessions didn’t witness groundbreaking shifts in the rulebook, the week was rich with noteworthy developments and announcements. The forthcoming World Cup calendars for the 2023/24 season were finalised, reflecting a close resemblance to the earlier drafts from the spring meetings in Dubrovnik. However, those with a keen eye will spot a few changes in those schedules since the spring.
Enthusiasts are encouraged to delve into these calendars for a deeper understanding, and you can find the Freestyle/Freeski calendar HERE, and the Snowboard calendar HERE.
Digital transformation was a reoccurring theme throughout the week. The FIS Media & Marketing division shed light on their recent forays into the digital realm, emphasizing content centralization. FIS.TV, a recent introduction, garnered significant attention. With such advancements, there’s a brewing initiative to launch live-streaming also at the Continental Cup level, amplifying those competitions’ value.
Freeride enthusiasts have reasons to celebrate as well, with endeavors afoot to integrate the Freeride World Tour into FIS’s official charter. The aim there will be to recognise freeride as a sanctioned discipline, mirroring practices in nations like New Zealand and Spain. Furthermore, whispers around the venue hinted at ambitious plans to introduce freeride events at the Olympic Winter Games 2030.
The preparations for the World Championships Engadin 2025 also made waves. Attendees were informed about the pipeline of test events set to come in the 2023/24 season, including cross and slopestyle World Cup events, as well as European Cup competitions in snowboard alpine and halfpipe. In a strategic move to bolster training facilities, a new halfpipe will rise from the grounds of Engadin this summer.
With the 2027 World Championships also on the more distant horizon, the Montafon 2027 organisers took to the stage to chronicle their journey so far, offering insights and updates. The Youth Olympic Games 2023 team from Korea also took the stage to discuss their progress so far, with comprehensive presentations about the venue layouts and designs, stoking the flames of anticipation among the younger athletes.
Universiade aficionados received their share of updates too. The FISU reminisced about the previous Universiade in Lake Placid and kindled interest for the upcoming edition in Torino 2025.
As well, Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games discussions resonated with attendees, as the Organizing Committee unveiled the first course drafts, revealing an innovative dual-venue strategy that would segregate events based on their nature.
Furthermore notable developments were made in all subcommittee meetings, and we’ve collected the highlights here.
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