Statement to FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Crans Montana 2027

FIS has been asked a number of questions by the publication NZZ concerning the status of the hosting agreement for the Crans-Montana FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 which has not been signed. FIS has replied directly to NZZ, but to ensure fair and accurate reporting FIS has decided to publish its answers publicly.

Summary

All candidates for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 were required to give undertakings relating to financial guarantees, which are necessary to ensure that the parties to the contract are able to meet its contractual obligations. In its bid response, Swiss-Ski stated that financial guarantees had already been given by The Swiss Confederation, The Canton of Valais and The Association of Communes of Crans-Montana, a statement which FIS relied on.

Swiss-Ski has now stated to FIS that it is not possible for the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana to give the required financial guarantees without referenda and has asked to be exempted from giving the financial guarantees.

Consequently, it is clear that the confirmation in the bid submission by Swiss-Ski that the financial guarantees by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana had already been given, was indeed entirely false.

The FIS World Championships bidding process must be fair and transparent, and to grant an exemption to a candidate who has made false bid representations would be highly damaging to the integrity of the bidding process and ultimately the sport of skiing. FIS deeply regrets this very disappointing situation. If Swiss-Ski cannot fulfil its undertakings, FIS will have no alternative but to award the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 to another candidate.

Specifically, FIS has been asked the following questions by the publication NZZ:

1. Why FIS has not signed the hosting agreement for the 2027 Alpine World Championships in Crans Montana?

Put simply, Swiss-Ski has to date failed to comply with the legal requirements contained in its bid tohost the 2027 Alpine World Championships. When Swiss-Ski put itself forward as a candidate in 2021, like all other candidates, it was required to give certain confirmations and undertakings in the bid documentation. One of those undertakings relates to financial guarantees, which are necessary to ensure that the local organisers are able to meet the contractual obligations.

Therefore, like all other candidates, Swiss-Ski was required to confirm in its bid that it had obtained adequate financial guarantees. Accordingly, in its bid response, Swiss-Ski confirmed that financial guarantees had already been given by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana, parties who have adequate resources to cover the contractual obligations under the hosting agreement. Without these confirmations, Swiss-Ski simply would not have been awarded the 2027 Alpine World Championships.

Swiss-Ski has now stated to FIS that it is not possible for the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana to give the required financial guarantees without referenda, and has asked to be exempted from giving the financial guarantees.

Consequently, it is clear that the confirmation in the bid submission by Swiss-Ski that the financial guarantees by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais and the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana had already been given, was indeed entirely false.

Without adequate financial guarantees, FIS is not in a position to sign the Crans Montana hosting agreement. The financial guarantee was a fundamental part of the bidding process and the 2027 World Championships would not have been awarded to Crans Montana or any other bidder without it.

2. What happens if no solution can be found?

If Swiss-Ski cannot comply with its undertakings, FIS will have no alternative but to award the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2027 to another candidate. It would be entirely unfair on the other candidates for FIS to proceed with Crans Montana in circumstances where the legal requirements of the bid have not been met. Furthermore, FIS may itself become liable for losses arising should it fail to ensure adequate financial guarantees are in place.

The FIS World Championship bidding process must be fair and transparent, and to grant an exemption to a candidate who has made false bid representations about a material bid requirement - as Swiss-Ski has done - would be highly damaging to the integrity of the bidding process and ultimately the sport of skiing. FIS deeply regrets this very disappointing situation.

3. Swiss-Ski has been pointing towards the 2025 Freestyle World Championships exemption…

This is correct, but this event is not comparable to the Crans Montana Alpine World Championships. It has contractual obligations which can easily be met by Swiss-Ski and represent a small fraction of those for the Alpine World Championships.