2. Minutes from the Council Meeting in Oberhofen (SUI), November 2014

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1 To the - Members of the FIS Council - National Ski Associations - Committee Chairmen INTERNATIONAL SKI FEDERATION Blochstrasse Oberhofen/Thunersee Switzerland Tel Fax Oberhofen, 9 th June 2015 Short Summary FIS Council Meeting 7 th June 2015, Varna (BUL) Dear Mr. President, Dear Ski friends, In accordance with art of the FIS Statutes we have pleasure in sending you the Short Summary of the most important decisions from the FIS Council Meeting, 7 th June 2015 in Varna (BUL). 1. Members present The following Council Members were present at the meeting in Varna, Bulgaria on 7 th June 2015: President Gian Franco Kasper, Vice-Presidents Sung-Won Lee, Dexter Paine and Sverre Seeberg, Members Mats Årjes, Andrey Bokarev, Dean Gosper, Alfons Hörmann, Roman Kumpost, Aki Murasato, Flavio Roda, Eduardo Roldan, Peter Schroecksnadel, Patrick Smith, Martti Uusitalo, Michel Vion, Athletes Commission Member Mike Janyk and Secretary General Sarah Lewis. Excused: Vice-President Janez Kocijancic 2. Minutes from the Council Meeting in Oberhofen (SUI), November 2014 The minutes from the Council Meeting in Oberhofen (SUI) on 18 th November 2014 were approved.

2 3. The FIS World Championships 3.1 Report on the 2015 FIS World Championships The Council received reports from the respective Council Members and expressed its sincere thanks to the Organising Committees and the National Ski Associations for the organisation of the respective FIS World Championships which successfully took place last winter: FIS Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard World Championships 2015, Kreischberg/Murau (AUT), 16 th to 25 th January: Council Member Peter Schröcksnadel FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2015, Vail/Beaver Creek (USA), 3 rd to 15 th February: Vice-President Dexter Paine FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2015, Falun (SWE), 18 th February to 1 st March: Council Member Mats Årjes 3.2 Report on future FIS World Championships The Council Members and representatives on behalf of the respective National Ski Associations reported on the following upcoming events and provided written reports from the Organising Committees: FIS Skiflying World Championships 2016, Kulm/Bad Mitterndorf (AUT), 15 th - 17 th January: Council Member Peter Schröcksnadel FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2017, St. Moritz (SUI), 6 th - 19 th February: President Gian Franco Kasper FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017, Lahti (FIN), 22 nd February - 5 th March: Council Member Martti Uusitalo FIS Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard World Championships 2017, Sierra Nevada (SPA), 5 th - 19 th March: Council Member Eduardo Roldan FIS Skiflying World Championships 2018, Oberstdorf (GER), 18 th - 21 st January, Council Member Alfons Hörmann FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships 2019, Park City (USA): 1 st - 10 th February: Vice-President Dexter Paine FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2019, Åre (SWE): 5 th - 17 th February 2019: Council Member Mats Årjes FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2019, Seefeld (AUT): 19 th February - 3 rd March 2019: Council Member Peter Schröcksnadel The Council acknowledged the reports and that all the various preparations appear to be going according to schedule and approved the following competition programmes for the FIS World Ski Championships in 2017 with the Nordic Events in Lahti (FIN) and Alpine Events in St. Moritz (SUI). Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

3 The programme for the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships 2017, Sierra Nevada (SPA), 5th - 19th March will be submitted at the next Council Meeting in November Programme FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Lahti (FIN), 22 nd February - 5 th March 2017 Date Cross-Country Ski Jumping Nordic Combined Wednesday, 22 nd February Qualification Ladies 5 km C Men 10 km C Thursday, 23 rd February Friday, 24 th February Saturday, 25 th February Sunday, 26 th February Monday, 27 th February Tuesday, 28 th February Wednesday, 1 st March Ladies & Men Sprint F Qualification Final Ladies Skiathlon (7.5 km C km F) Men s Skiathlon (15 km C + 15 km F) Ladies + Men s Team Sprint C Qualification Final Interval Start Ladies 10 km C Interval Start Men s 15 km C Thursday, 2 nd Ladies Relay March 4x5 km C + F Friday, 3 rd March Men s Relay 4x10 km C + F Saturday, 4 th March Sunday, 5 th March Ladies 30 km F Mass Start Men 50 km F Mass Start Opening Ceremony Ladies HS 100 Qualification Men HS 100 Qualification Ladies HS 100 Final Men HS 100 Final Individual Gundersen HS km Mixed Team HS 100 Team HS 100 Team 4 x 5 km Reserve Day HS 130 Men Qualification HS 130 Men Final Team Men HS 130 Closing Ceremony Individual Gundersen HS km Team Sprint HS x 7.5 km Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

4 Programme FIS Alpine World Ski Championships St. Moritz (SUI), 6 th - 19 th February 2017 Date Men Ladies Monday, 6 th February Tuesday, 7 th February Opening Ceremony Super-G Wed, 8 th February Super-G DH Training Thursday, 9 th February DH Training DH Training Friday, 10 th February DH Training Alpine Combined Saturday, 11 th February Downhill DH Training Sunday, 12 th February DH Training Downhill Monday, 13 th February Tuesday, 14 th February Wednesday, 15 th February Alpine Combined Nations Team Event Qualification GS Thursday, 16 th February Qualification GS Giant Slalom Friday, 17 th February Giant Slalom Qualification SL Saturday, 18 th February Qualification SL Slalom Sunday, 19 th February Slalom Closing Ceremonies 3.3 Candidates for future FIS World Championships The Council acknowledged receipt of the following applications for future FIS World Championships, all of which were submitted by 1 st May 2015 according to the regulations, with the registration fee and guarantee for training days. Presentations to the FIS Council during the FIS Congress week in Cancun (MEX) will take place on Tuesday 7 th June 2016 in accordance with the procedures established, with the election by the Council taking place on Thursday 9 th June Skiflying Planica, SLO 2021 Nordic Events Oberstdorf, GER Planica, SLO Trondheim, NOR Alpine Events Cortina d Ampezzo, ITA Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

5 Freestyle Skiing/Snowboard Events At the time of completing the Comments on the Agenda, no candidacies had been submitted. The Council therefore decided to set a new deadline of 1 st October 2015 for Freestyle Skiing/Snowboard applications. 3.4 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships - Qualification and 2 nd run starters On proposal of the Alpine Committee in Barcelona 2014, the Council approved adaptations to the Rules for the Qualification System for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. In Varna, the Council approved the proposal of Alpine Committee to withdraw the above-mentioned proposal and instead introduce qualification races in giant slalom and slalom for ladies in St. Moritz 2017, in addition to the men, in order to limit the number of athletes starting in the final race to 100. In Vail the qualification races were very successful and were really embraced by the Organising Committee. They served as own World Championships for the Developing Nations and created positive outcomes for the athletes and National Ski Associations. The discussion in regard to the number of athletes starting in the 2 nd run with 60 athletes as is presently the case at the World Championships since 2011, or 30 as in World Cup, is a separate discussion to the qualification for the Championships and the quotas. Any change to the current model of the top 60 participating in the 2 nd run would have to be decided by the FIS Congress. 4. The FIS Junior World Championships 4.1 Reports FIS Junior World Championships 2015 The Council Members from the respective National Ski Associations and/or representatives reported on the following concluded events: FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships 2015, Almaty (KAZ): 1 st to 8 th February: Council Member Andrey Bokarev and Council Representative Roman Kumpost FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships 2015, Hafjell (NOR), 6 th to 13 th March: Vice-President Sverre Seeberg FIS Snowboard Junior World Championships 2015, Yabuli (CHN), 9 th to 16 th March: Vice-President Sung-Won Lee on behalf of the Chinese Ski Association. FIS Freestyle Junior World Ski Championships 2015, Valmalenco (ITA), 22 nd March to 2 nd April: Council Member Flavio Roda The Council acknowledged the reports on each of the Championships and thanked the Organising Committees and their National Ski Associations for excellent events. Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

6 4.2 Future FIS Junior World Championships The Council Members from and on behalf of the respective National Ski Associations reported on the following upcoming events: FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships 2016 in Sochi (RUS), 24 th February - 5 th March: Council Member Andrey Bokarev FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships 2016 in Rasnov (ROU), 22 nd - 28 th February: Secretary General Sarah Lewis on behalf of the Romanian Ski Association On proposal of the Romanian Ski Association, supported by the Ski Jumping Committee, the Council approved the inclusion of the Ski Jumping mixed team competition to the programme in exchange for the ladies team competition. FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships 2017 in Åre (SWE): Council Member Mats Årjes FIS Snowboard Junior World Championships 2017 in Klinovec (CZE): Council Member Roman Kumpost 4.3 Candidates for future FIS Junior World Championships The Council appointed the following new Organisers: - Park City (USA) as Organiser of the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships and U23 CC in Dizin (IRA) as Organiser of the FIS Grass Ski Junior World Championships Les Contamines (FRA) as Organiser of the FIS Telemark Junior World Championships, 29 th January - 2 nd February Val di Fassa (ITA) and Davos (SUI) as Organiser of the FIS Alpine Junior World Championships in 2018 and Both candidates will undergo an inspection by the FIS Coordinators during summer 2015, since the downhill courses are not yet completed and thereafter a decision will be taken which Organiser will be in 2018 and The International Olympic Committee / Olympic Winter Games FIS President Gian Franco Kasper reported on the activities of the International Olympic Committee. He informed about the IOC decisions relating to Olympic Agenda 2020 that are of concern to FIS, namely Reducing the Costs for the Olympic Games, the Bidding Process and especially changing from a Sport to an Event based programme. The IOC Executive Board will decide about the programme for the Olympic Programme for 2018 at its meeting on 8 th June The IOC has notified FIS it is positive for the inclusion of the Alpine Skiing nations team event and it would also like to add Freestyle and Snowboard big air following the success of slopestyle in Sochi However in view of the Olympic Agenda 2022 decision to have a maximum Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

7 number of events of 100 on the programme of the Winter Games, it may decide to remove the Snowboard parallel giant slalom to make way for big air (the Snowboard parallel slalom was added specifically for Sochi 2014 on request of the host nation). The Council expressed its opinion that the removal of events less than three years before the Games is far too late. Whilst the inclusion of new events is welcomed, Snowboard parallel is the basis of the sport in many nations. Furthermore, the Council gave FIS President Gian Franco Kasper the authority to address this serious concern to the leadership of the IOC. The Council agreed that it is necessary for each of the disciplines and events to look carefully at the formats, presentation and participation for each of the events in order that they are attractive not only for the afficianados of the sport, but newcomers. The IOC has already made steps to implement a number of Recommendations that were part approved as part of Olympic Agenda 2020 in December 2014 as follows: - The introduction of an Invitation Phase in the bidding process as from 15 January (Recommendation 1) - The Evaluation Commission for the Olympic Winter Games 2022 is assessing key opportunities and risks. (Recommendation 2) - Measures to reduce the costs of bidding already applied to the 2022 bidding process. (Recommendation 3) - Savings of USD 1 billion in the Tokyo revised budget with three venue changes making the Olympic Games in Tokyo more sustainable and more feasible. (Recommendation 4) - The procedures for the proposal of the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 concerning the addition of one or several events have been established and the timeline has been set for 15 September (Recommendation 10) - The role of the International Sports Federations for the delivery of the Olympic competitions has been enhanced already for the Olympic Games from 2016 on. (Recommendation 13) - The IOC has already included non-discrimination on sexual orientation in the 6 th Fundamental Principle of Olympism. (Recommendation 14) - The IOC has set a special fund of USD 20 million with regard to better protection of the clean athletes. Three projects supporting innovative research have already been approved for funding out of the USD 10 million portion created for this purpose. Twelve governments have promised to contribute an additional USD 5.9 million. A prevention programme for the fight against match fixing and related corruption is under way in cooperation with INTERPOL and financed out of the other USD 10 million portion by the IOC. (Recommendation 16) - Organisation of the International Forum for Sports Integrity (IFSI) on 13 April 2015 with the participation of governments, INTERPOL, Europol, EU Council of Europe, UN agencies, sports betting entities, Olympic stakeholders and others. (Recommendation 16) - Approval of the organisational and management structure of the Olympic Channel with the creation of the Olympic Channel Services (OCS) S.A. in Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

8 Switzerland with a funding capital of CHF 1 million. Hiring of key management positions on the channel is underway. (Recommendation 19) - The IOC has started close cooperation with NGOs. Meetings have been taken place and contacts have been made with different organisations including: The International Trade Union Confederation, Transparency International, Human Rights Watch, The Committee to Protect Journalists (Recommendation 20) - Meetings have been held with UNESCO and a new UNESCO charter on Physical Education and Physical Activity and Sport is under way stressing the importance of physical activity in sport and education. (Recommendation 22) - A summit with the TOP Partners has been held in order to integrate them into Olympism in Action programmes and the Olympic Channel. (Recommendation 33). Furthermore the meeting advanced the engagement of the TOP partners with the National Olympic Committees. (Recommendation 35) - The first IOC Olympism in Action Congress will take place in 2017 in Lima, Peru. (Recommendation 39) - The IOC is addressing the issues of good governance, transparency and compliance by having all the regulations and positions in place with a Chief Internal Audit Officer, an Audit Committee separated from the Finance Commission and appointing the position of Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. (Recommendation 31) - In addition the Ethics Commission has reviewed its Code of Ethics according to the Olympic Agenda 2020 (Recommendation 32) and communicated the indemnity policy for IOC Members. (Recommendation 29) Other decisions taken by the IOC Executive Board since December 2014 have included: - The Organising Committee for the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 generated an operational surplus of RUB 3.25 billion (approximately USD 50 million) from the staging of the Games. In total, the IOC contributed USD 833 million to support the Sochi Games, an increase of USD 83 million over previous estimates. The IOC had already decided to transfer its 20 per cent share of this total (RUB 650 million/usd10 million) to the Russian Olympic Committee for use in the development of sport, the Olympic Channel and an Olympic Museum in Russia. - Changes to Rule 40 and Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, both of which will be presented to the next IOC Session this July in Kuala Lumpur for final approval. For the application of Rule 40, the IOC would allow generic (non-olympic) advertising during the period of the Games. The change to Rule 50 would increase the maximum size of a manufacturer s identification while respecting the clean field of play to prevent conspicuous advertising. - In its commitment to strengthen the support to athletes, a mourning place within the Olympic Village will be established during the period of the Games in order to allow athletes to gather and pay tribute to people who passed away. It was also decided to devote a moment during the Closing Ceremony to remember the ones who died in the context of the Games. Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

9 - Provisional recognition was granted to the International Olympic Collectors Association (AICO) with the aim of encouraging philately, numismatics and the collection of quality Olympic memorabilia linked to the historical and cultural aspects of the Olympic Movement. It is expected that this recognition by the IOC will help to drive the international expansion of the organisation. 5.1 Youth Olympic Winter Games 2016 in Lillehammer The fourth IOC Coordination Commission for the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer (NOR) 2016 took place on 27 th and 28 th April On proposal of the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Organising Committee (LYOCOG) the IOC has confirmed that the halfpipe events will be held at the existing venue in Oslo to reduce costs in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 and reinforce the legacy of a venue built two years ago. This facility was already used for the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in Last season, the 2015 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in Hafjell successfully served as a main preparation event for the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer. In agreement with LYOCOG, by 30 th June 2015 FIS will communicate the allocated quota places earned during the FIS Junior World Championships in 2015 to the NOCs/NSAs and open the online system for registration of participation interest for NOCs/NSAs who have not been allocated quota places through the first level of qualification. On 11 th January 2016, the YOG quota allocation lists and YOG FIS points lists will be published and communicated to the NOCs/NSAs. For further details please see the link on the FIS Website: Candidates Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 There are two candidates for the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2022, Lausanne (SUI) and Rasnov (ROU). The IOC Evaluation Commission has reviewed both applications during the past winter season and the election of the host city will take place during the IOC Session at the end of July Olympic Winter Games 2018 in Pyeongchang The 4 th IOC Coordination Commission for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 took place from 17th - 19th March In February 2015, the IOC Executive Board and Organisers of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 (POCOG) established an Integration Working Group to speed up decision-making processes and improve integration between all stakeholders. The working group involves experts from the IOC Olympic Games management, the leadership of PyeongChang 2018, the International Federations, the Korean Government Minister of Culture and the President of the Province of Gangwon. FIS President Gian Franco Kasper is representing the International Sports Federations in the Integration Working Group. Next winter, the first official Test Events are scheduled with a FIS Alpine World Cup men s downhill and super G and a FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Cup in ski- and snowboard cross and slopeslope in February Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

10 Construction work is progressing in both venues, Jeongsong (Alpine speed events) and Phoenix Park (Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard). Additionally the appointment of experts to work for the Organising Committee is being resolved, which is essential in the short-term for the FIS World Cup events in 2016, as well as the technical and operational preparations for the Games in Candidates for the Olympic Winter Games in 2022 There are two Candidate Cities for the Olympic Winter Games in 2022: Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Beijing (China). During February and March, the IOC Evaluation Commission undertook its site inspections of both candidates: - Almaty s legacy plans centre on providing the conditions to enable the city to become a sports, tourism and convention hub in Central Asia. - Beijing is seeking to provide an extended legacy for venues built for the Olympic Games It wants to create a winter sports centre for China and use the Winter Games to act as a catalyst for the further development of the tourism and winter sports industry. On recommendation of the IOC Evaluation Commission, Almaty adapted some of the venues, notably for Alpine Skiing and Freestyle Skiing-Snowboard. These changes were carried out in agreement with the FIS experts. The report of the IOC Evaluation Commission was published in early June and the Candidate Cities will present their plans to the IOC Members and International Winter Sports Federations in Lausanne on 9 th and 10 th June. The election of the Host City will take place on 31 st July 2015 in Kuala Lumpa (MAL). 6. AIOWF The General Assembly of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) took place in Sochi (RUS) on 21 st April 2015 in conjunction with the SportAccord Convention. The following day, the annual meeting between AIOWF and ASOIF (the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) was organised to exchange information on matters of common interest. The main items discussed included updating the AIOWF Statutes, reports from PyeongChang 2018, WADA and the IOC Sports Department, the Olympic Channel, as well as reports from the AIOWF members participating in various Commissions. The annual meeting with AIOWF and the IOC Executive Board will take place in Lausanne on 10 th June SportAccord The 48 th SportAccord General Assembly took place from 19 th - 23 rd April 2015 in Sochi (RUS) during the SportAccord Convention World Sport and Business Summit. It still included the General Assemblies of AIOWF, ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations), ARIFS (Association of Recognised International Federations, alongside a conference and exhibition. Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

11 On the first day, the General Assembly of SportAccord began with the SportAccord President Marius Vizer accusing the IOC of trying to block projects he has tried to introduce including the SportAccord strategy in its mission to identify and organise Conventions and multi-sport games, while claiming that Agenda 2020 had brought hardly any benefit to sport. He accused the IOC of lacking transparency and the IOC system as being expired, outdated, wrong and unfair. Thereafter there was a strong reaction from many International Sport Federations and the Associations of the Summer and Winter Federations, suspending relations to SportAccord and some even withdrawing from the organisation. The Organiser of the SportAccord Combat Games also stepped back. The situation escalated to the extent that Marius Vizer resigned his position as President of SportAccord on 31 st May In accordance with the SportAccord statutes, the Senior Vice President who is FIS President Gian Franco Kasper assumes responsibility. On 8 th June, a SportAccord Council Meeting will take place and the process for organisation of an Extraordinary General Assembly to elect a new President will be decided. FIS President Gian Franco Kasper informed that he will not stand as a candidate. 8. Financial Matters 8.1 Report of the Finance Commission FIS Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Commission, Sverre Seeberg reported on the financial matters of the International Ski Federation, including the status of the accounts. The annual external audit of the 2014 accounts took place during the first week in March 2015, and the internal audit by the elected auditors Stane Valant (SLO) and Elio Grigoletto (ITA) together with a representative of the professional auditors took place on 8th May. The internal audit was carried out for the first time on an annual basis. Chairman of the Finance Commission, Sverre Seeberg reported that there were no surprises in the 2014 accounts. The budget is for the two-year period and therefore the figures for one year are 50% of the total and not specific to when the income is received in either year. The FIS World Championships are booked in the year of the event, which means 2015 for the majority of the income (Ski Flying World Championships took place in 2014). The outcome of the income and expenditure is in line with previous years with modest savings. There was a gain on the financial side of CHF 4 million, but this was before 15 th January In the first 3 months of 2015, FIS made a loss on the securities mainly due to exchange rate situation when the Swiss National Bank decided to remove the fixed exchange rate of 1.20 between the Swiss Franc and Euro on 15 th January. In addition FIS received $3.2 million less revenue from the IOC for the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi 2014 which was in fact CHF 7 million less due to the difference in the exchange rate between the US$ and the Swiss Franc compared to the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver The income from the IOC will decrease in future due to the Olympic Agenda 2020 where the IOC is directly investing in projects for the benefit of sport, such as the Olympic TV Channel. Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

12 8.2 Requests for financial support from the Technical Committees The Council approved proposals for financial support from the Committees for technical courses and activities for Cross-Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding joint activities, Speed Skiing and Telemark. Injury Collection Database and University of Innsbruck Research Partner The FIS Injury Surveillance System (ISS) Steering Committee requested the installation of an online system for the collection of injury data, especially in connection with injury status. Based on the feedback of the Legal Committee, the Council decided to table the proposal until the protocol is established and to clarify the following issues in detail: owner of the system vs licensing, reporting structure, accessibility and responsibilities of the different users of the system (athlete, doctor, NSA, research partners and FIS). Furthermore, the Council Members agreed that a system must accommodate the collection of injury data from all FIS disciplines, notably Ski Jumping, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard. The different available systems on the market need to be evaluated before a decision is taken. The Council acknowledged the work undertaken by the University of Innsbruck with injury statistics for Alpine Skiing in Austria and will consider its request to be appointed a research partner for establishing international statistics in Alpine Skiing after a system is in place. Investigation of the need for new specifications of competition helmets The Working Group Alpine Equipment together with the FIS ISS Steering Committee submitted a project proposal from the research centres of KTH Stockholm (SWE) and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (CAN) on investigating how to best specify the test regulations for ski competition helmets. The Council tabled the proposal requesting EUR 60'000 over a period of three years due to the fact the research should be undertaken by the helmet manufacturers in the context of their certification, as well as potential liability issues for FIS. 8.3 Financial Support for the National Ski Associations FIS President Gian Franco Kasper summarised the background to the financial support paid to National Ski Associations in the past. Originally the Organiser received 60% of television income for the FIS World Championships (Alpine and Nordic) and 40% went to FIS. As total amounts from the rights increased, it was agreed to use 10% from the FIS share to support the National Ski Associations with their expenses to attend the Championships. When the level of income for the LOC generated by the television and marketing rights increased significantly in the late 1990s, the obligations were therefore adapted so the LOC had to the cover accommodation for the qualified athletes. Consequently, the costs for participation at the FIS Alpine and Nordic World Championships decreased dramatically for the National Ski Associations. Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

13 The current system involves paying shares per athlete participating at the FIS Alpine and Nordic World Championships, but it has shown that this is not necessarily a reflection of a National Ski Association s activity within FIS. On proposal of the Finance Commission the FIS Council agreed to come up with a system that takes the activity of the NSA in organising competitions, as well as having active athletes into consideration. The principles of the system need to be defined and transparent and comprise the following elements: - Basic Share - Active registered athletes male and female in each FIS discipline (on the Olympic programme) - Participants at the FIS Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships - The organisation of FIS calendar events in each FIS discipline On proposal of FIS President Gian Franco Kasper, the Council decided to prepare a proposal for the Congress for the Council Meeting in the autumn to include in the Congress book and communicate to all National Ski Association. 8.4 Report on the FIS Development Programme The FIS Development Programme (FDP) Working Group met during the FIS Calendar Conference on Saturday 6 th June in Varna. The end of season report was sent in April 2015 to the FDP Working Group together with the 2014 accounts and preliminary draft budget for Council Member Alfons Hoermann, Chairman of the FIS Development Programme Working Group reported that during the winter season training camps took place for Alpine Skiing in Austria, the Nordic disciplines in Val di Fiemme and Freestyle Ski and Snowboard in Kreischberg (AUT) immediately after the World Championships. The FIS Development Programme 2014 was carried out in accordance with the budget. The FDP Working Group submitted the programme of activities planned for 2015 to the Council, including training camps for Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, joint Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard, Leader s Seminar, SES European competitions and activities, a South America training camp, Asian junior competitions and training camp. The Leaders Seminar will take place in Vilnius (LTU) from 11 th - 13 th September The FIS Development Programme Working Group will meet next time during the FIS Technical Committee Meetings in Zurich in October FIS Solidarity Applications A number of applications to FIS Solidarity were submitted. The support is primarily focused on activities supporting the education of coaches in their own nation through sending an expert to a national or regional group course to educate coaches, or to arrange a coach workshop locally. On proposal of the FIS Finance Commission, the Council decided to support projects and requests for assistance that conform with the criteria for FIS Solidarity applications from the National Ski Associations of Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Marocco, Ukraine and Argentina. 8.5 Marc Hodler Foundation Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

14 Chairman of the Marc Hodler Foundation Janez Kocijancic provided a report that the accounts are in line with the budget and projects are on track. The 2014 accounts of the Marc Hodler Foundation were audited by Wistag in early March. During the last annual meeting the Marc Hodler Foundation Board of Trustees in November 2014, it agreed on updated goals of the Foundation in order that the objectives defined in the statutes to undertake initiatives are met. These have now been published on the FIS Website together with an application form. The next meeting of the patronage board will take place in conjunction with the FIS Council Meeting in November FIS Marketing AG The Council acknowledged the report submitted by Christian Pirzer, CEO of FIS Marketing AG and the status of various projects since the FIS Council Meeting in November 2014 in Oberhofen. Vice President Sverre Seeberg, and board member of FIS Marketing AG reported that the 13 th supervisory board meeting of the company took place in mid-may. The 2014/2015 season went according to plan and FIS Marketing AG is expected to end the business year with a profit of EUR 1.5m as forecast. Christian Pirzer had made presentations to the Technical Committees in Varna with information about the television viewing figures. The research shows declining interest in some markets and he stated from a marketing perspective that it is essential for the disciplines to consider the presentation and formats of their events so that they appeal not only to the afficianados but also new followers. 8.7 FIS Travel Service AG The Council acknowledged the report from President Gian Franco Kasper in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of FIS Travel Service. The general assembly of FIS Travel Service took place on 5 th May Last season s business mainly revolved around the FIS World Cup circuits and FIS World Championships 2015 in Vail/Beaver Creek and Falun. The FIS Calender Conference in Varna (BUL) has seen more than 760 persons registered at the International Hotel Casino & Tower Suites and nearby Hotel Admiral and Arabella in Varna. 9. Marketing, Public Relations and Special Projects At the Meeting in Varna, the Council acknowledged the new sponsor and partner contracts. The following report shows the latest status per end April 2015: FIS World Cup Title / Presenting Sponsors Nordic Disciplines presenting sponsor Viessmann signed to 2017/2018 Cross-Country World Cup Sponsors: Audi signed to 2017/2018 Craft/New Wave signed to 2015/2016, prolongation under negotiation Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

15 Helvetia signed to 2016/2017 with revised package under negotiation Men s Ski Jumping World Cup Sponsor: Audi signed to 2017/2018 Ladies Ski Jumping World Cup Sponsor: OMV signed to 2016/2017 Nordic Combined World Cup Sponsor: Audi signed to 2017/2018 Alpine Ski World Cup title sponsor Audi signed to 2017/2018 Freestyle Ski Cross World Cup title sponsor Audi signed to 2015/2016, extension until 2018 under negotiation Freestyle Skiing World Cup: open Snowboard World Cup: open FIS partners FIS official cars "Audi" signed to 2017/2018 FIS clothing partners Halti signed to 2017/2018 for Alpine, FIS Council and FIS (non-technical staff) adidas signed to 2017/2018 for Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined adidas signed to 2017/2018 for Cross-Country (except Tour de Ski) Tenson agreed to 2015/2016 for Freestyle Skiing/Snowboard Logistic Partner Conceptum signed to 2015 FIS World Cup trophies/medals "Joska" signed to 2015/2016 Cableways "Doppelmayr/Garaventa" signed to 2015/2016 Video walls FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and FIS Freestyle Ski Cross Faber Audiovisuals signed to 2016/2017 Snowmaking Service "Sufag" signed to 2017/2018 Temporary infrastructure Nüssli signed to 2015/2016 Telecommunications Tele Comm Sportservice has been taken over by Riedel. Extension of the agreement is under negotiation with Riedel Service Provider course preparation Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard Prinoth agreed to 2015/2016 Service Provider for snow groomers Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

16 Kässbohrer signed to 2015/2016 Service Provider halfpipe grinder Snowboard Zaugg under negotiation Snowboard Materials Liski signed to 2015/2016 Data and timing sponsors and service providers of FIS World Cups Data Sponsor Ski Jumping men and Nordic Combined Konica Minolta signed to 2015/2016, prolongation under negotiation Timing Sponsor Cross-Country Polar signed to 2017/2018 Data Sponsor Ski Jumping Ladies: under negotiation Data and timing service Cross-Country, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined ST Sportservice/Swiss Timing under negotiation to 2017/2018 Data and timing partner and service/sponsor Alpine World Cup Longines with service by Swiss Timing signed to 2021/2022 Data and timing service FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup Global-Sportservice agreed to 2015/2016 Data and timing service FIS Snowboard World Cup Swiss Timing agreed to 2015/2016 under negotiation 9.1 Bring Children to the Snow The Council approved the latest update report on the activities of the Bring Children to the Snow Campaign: Bring Children to the Snow - General The winter 2014/2015 has seen the largest-ever growth in the Bring Children to the Snow campaign. 645 World Snow Day events and 485 SnowKidz events took place. The first phase of the Audi partnership is now complete. Over 186,000 items of equipment were distributed to Organisers in 32 countries. New activities are being planned for next season. To date a total of 2,838 Bring Children to the Snow events have taken place with over 1.8 million participants. The global children s lift ticket report will be updated every three years as changes in prices will be more evident over the course of three years vs. annually. This summer, Bring Children to the Snow will focus on the following areas: - Establishing a partnership with a company representing the retailers of the snow sports industry - Continued work with the European Sporting Goods Federation to provide a clear offer to Organisers from the ski equipment manufacturers - New information package with best practices for National Ski Associations to start Bring Children to the Snow programmes Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

17 World Snow Day The 4 th edition of World Snow Day took place on 19 th January. 645 events in 45 countries provided over 591,000 children with a chance to explore, enjoy and experience snow sports. Highlights included The Apen Bakke where free lift passes were offered all over Norway for World Snow Day, a coordinated World Snow Day by the Chinese Ski Association with 15 locations throughout the country, World Snow Day throughout Russia, Canada-wide World Snow Day with 36 events, Latvia World Snow Day with 113 locations, World Snow Day in Sweden with 22 locations, Austrian school initiative with 127 participating resorts, World Snow Day in Peru plus many more. The European Broadcasting Union and Infront Sports and Media agreed to three year partnerships for World Snow Day to promote the campaign. This summer World Snow Day will focus on: - Implementation of the first World Snow Day Awards - Creation of two new event cases studies to demonstrate best practices for Organisers - Launching of the World Snow Day registration for Establishment of a long term partnership agreement with Eurosport FIS SnowKidz The 2014/2015 has seen the largest growth in SnowKidz events. In total 458 events were staged, bringing the total to 919 events. SnowKidz is on target to exceed 1000 events by the end of The first FIS SnowKidz annual report was released and summarises the numbers from the past six years. SnowKidz will stage events in the southern hemisphere this summer. Events in Chile, Peru, South Africa and New Zealand have all confirmed their participation. The summer months will also see work on: - Opening of the nomination period for the SnowKidz Award 2016 to be presented at the FIS Congress - Development of 1-2 new Cookbooks showcasing Organisers best practices - Developing media partners for SnowKidz as per World Snow Day 9.2 Internet domain: dot.ski The application for the top level internet domain name (TLD) for.ski by Starting Dot as a community designation, supported by FIS and the IOC was successful and is available for applications from the priority groups: FIS, National Ski Associations, FIS-registered athletes, Organisers, members of the National Ski Area Associations, Ski Industry. The priority registration for the above groups will be for a period of 60 days. Details were communicated in Varna at the PR and Advertising Committees and during the Organiser Seminar and will be included in the FIS Newsflash shortly. 9.3 Media audiences The second season with the new FIS Website has concluded. New features included Live Blogging that integrated the social media channels for each discipline directly onto the FIS website. Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

18 Dedicated World Championship pages were added to the FIS website that allowed for news specific to each of the three World Championships to be profiled. In addition, live streaming was provided. FIS Website Figures Page Views Visitors Visits Season ,516,592 12,882,805 9,357,977 Season ,631,380 36,175,193 28,184,166 The FIS Social Media channels continued to see rapid growth across all disciplines with some channels gaining double the followers in just one season. FIS continues to focus its Social Media efforts on the Big Four : Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Instagram. Across all disciplines most growth was seen on the FIS Facebook and You Tube channels. FIS Social Media October 2014 April 2015 Growth FIS Disciplines Combined Facebook Likes 173, , % Twitter Followers 55,775 76, % You Tube Views 4,741,383 6,360, % Instagram Followers 21,432 78, % 10. Anti-Doping The Council acknowledged the report of the Chairman of the FIS Doping Panel, Patrick Smith. The focus of the FIS out-of-competition activities follows the best practice model encouraged by WADA using an intelligent testing programme. At the FIS World Championships, the doping control programmes were extensive and in Falun at the Nordic Events, it was the most comprehensive anti-doping programme at a winter sports event outside of the Olympic Winter Games. The samples from Falun 2015 will be stored long-term. A comprehensive out-of-competition programme before the Championships was organised by FIS. In the framework of the FIS Anti-Doping campaign Clean As Snow, FIS together with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) conducted a Legacy Outreach for athletes and team officials in Falun during the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The outreach team interacted with athletes, coaches and support personnel, provided them with useful information on all anti-doping matters and asked to show their support for a doping free sport by signing a Clean Sport pledge. Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

19 FIS Out-of-Competition Tests Season 2014/2015 Urine ESAs (urine) Blood tests Blood passport Cross-Country Nordic Combined Ski Jumping Alpine Skiing Freestyle 9 Snowboard 12 Total FIS In-Competition Tests Season 2014/2015 Urine EPO Blood Cross-Country Blood Nordic Combined passport Ski Jumping 57 tests are Alpine Skiing not made Freestyle 80 In- Snowboard 90 Competition Total Doping cases There are presently no new international FIS doping cases to report. The Council acknowledged the following national doping cases: 10.2 WADA Name Nat Disc. Event tested LALLUKKA, Juha FIN CC OOC Substance/ Method hgh MASHKIN, Nikita RUS CC CG KALININA, Arina RUS CC trimetazedine GAVRILOV, Yuriy RUS CC trimetazedine SHALYGINA, Kseniya KAZ CC IC carphedone ZAKIROV, Ilnaz RUS CC trimetazedine Sanction CAS decision November 2014: 2 years until (incl prov suspension period ) 2 years (starting ) 2 years (starting ) 3 months (starting ) 2 years (starting ) 8 months (starting ) The spring meeting of the WADA Foundation Board took place on 13 May 2015 at the WADA Headquarters in Montreal. The main issues of the meeting were as follows: Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

20 - As part of the 2015 Compliance Activities Plan, the recently-formed independent Compliance Review Committee updated the Foundation Board on progress made by signatories in Code and Standards implementation. FIS through its adoption of the FIS Anti-Doping Rules 2015, as well as anti-doping activities has been approved as Code-compliant. - Under the WADA-IOC Special Research Fund, WADA has received matching funds of USD 1,587,975 to date. Of the IOC and government commitment to potential USD 12 million fund, USD 1 million will be dedicated to social science research. - A new ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration & Management System) shall be launched by WADA at the end of FIS, as an active member, has been included in a dedicated working group of IFs and NADOs to develop the new ADAMS through Sarah Fussek, FIS Anti-Doping Coordinator. - In 2015, WADA introduced the Legacy Outreach Programme in order to provide additional and direct support to IFs in developing and delivering anti-doping athlete awareness programmes. At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, WADA and FIS launched the first ever Legacy Outreach entitled Clean as Snow. 11. Appointment of jury members The Council made a number of new appointments (in bold type) for the FIS World Championships and other major events. The following list also includes appointments made previously: 2015 FIS Rollerski World Championships, Val di Fiemme (ITA) Technical Delegate TD Assistant Guy Magand, FRA Georg Zipfel, GER 2015 FIS Grass Ski World Championships, Tambre (ITA) Technical Delegate Dieter Posch, AUT 2015 FIS Grass Ski Junior World Championships, Stitna nad Vlari (CZE) Technical Delegate Sandor Ladislav, SVK 2016 Ski Flying World Championshps 2016 Kulm/Bad Mitterndorf (AUT) Ski Jumping Technical Delegate TD Assistant Chief Distance Measurer Judges Medical Supervisor Eero Kuusinen, FIN Thomas Klauser, GER Peter Chudy, SVK (replacing Octavian Munteanu, ROU) Wolfgang Reissner, AUT Odette Bouvard, FRA Joachim Lesser, GER Marek Pilch, POL David Amstein, SUI Tor Olsen, NOR Inggard Lereim, NOR Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

21 2016 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships, Sochi (RUS) Technical Delegate Ladies Technical Delegate Men Medical Supervisor Konstantin Nieberle, GER Peter May, AUS Toni Wicker, AUT 2016 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships and U 23 CC WSC, Rasnov (ROU) Cross-Country Skiing Technical Delegate TD-Assistant Jury Member Medical Supervisor Bruno Heinzer, SUI Zofia Kielpinska, POL Jakub Tejchman, CZE Stanislaw Szymanik (POL) Ski Jumping Technical Delegate TD Assistant Chief Distance Measurer Judges Ivo Greger, CZE Per Elias Kalfoss, NOR Hans Elvsween, NOR Andrei Balasz, ROU Petra Nordman, FIN Michael Lorenz, GER Giambattista Carli, ITA Eduard Suboch, RUS Nordic Combined Technical Delegate TD-Assistant John Heilig (CAN) Vladimir Frak (SVK) 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games Lillehammer (NOR) Cross-Country Skiing Technical Delegate TD Assistant Georg Zipfel, GER (replacing Emil Hecico, ROU) Mathias Berglund, SWE Ski Jumping Technical Delegate TD Assistant Chief Distance Measurer Judges Jani Hyvärinen, FIN Michael Lais, GER Teppo Nieminen, FIN (replacing Peter Chudy, SVK) Espelid Kjersti Haugen, NOR Jan Baier, CZE Christian Keller, GER (replacing Jörg Schmieder, GER) Andrzej Galica, POL Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

22 Nordic Combined Technical Delegate TD Assistant Medical Supervisor Evgen Jesenko, SLO Andrea Roggia, ITA Nurmela Tapio, FIN Hubert Hörterer, GER Alpine Skiing Technical Delegate Ladies Technical Delegate Men Jury Jill Firstbrook, USA Josef Zingerle, ITA Mark Berry, GBR Jean-Louis Galinier, FRA Claes Johansson, SWE Freestyle Skiing Head judge Scoring Judges Snowboard Headjudge Scoring Judges Peter Arneson, USA Oliver Usterud, NOR Philippe Belanger, CAN Adam Frisell, SWE Ruslan Akhtyamov, RUS Ivan Ivanov, BUL Ales Silec, SLO Kevin Higgins, CAN Stefan Munz, GER Klara Suchanova, CZE Ruslan Akhtyamov, RUS Ivan Ivanov, BUL Adam Frisell, SWE Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard Technical Delegate Cross Events TD Assistant Cross Events Technical Delegate Pipe and Slope TD Assistant Pipe and Slope Jury Jim Sidorchuck, CAN Werner Steiner, AUT Tino Mincev, BUL Matevz Stanovnik, SLO Janne Kuusela, FIN 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, St. Moritz (SUI) Technical Delegate Ladies Technical Delegate Men Jury Ladies Jury Men Edi Dreschl, AUT Joe Galinier, FRA tbc, SWE Assia Illieva, BUL Olga Krizova, CZE tbc, GER Juli Selma, SPA Karl Guenzel, USA Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June

23 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Lahti (FIN) Cross-Country Skiing Technical Delegate TD Assistant Jury Members Uros Ponikvar, SLO Enzo Macor, ITA (replacing Alan Serrano, USA) Guri Hetland, NOR Jakub Teichman, CZE Ski Jumping Technical Delegate TD Assistant Chief Distance Measurer Judges Geir S. Loeng, NOR Saso Komovec, SLO Stanislav Slavik, CZE P. Karjalainen/T. Nieminen, FIN Chr. Kathol / Stefan Wolf, AUT Yutaka Minemura / Keizo Masaki, JPN Kazmierz Bafia / Lech Pochwala, POL Bojan Jost / Slato Suzic, SLO Marc Levasseur / Steve Sydow, USA Nordic Combined Technical Delegate TD-Assistant Günter Csar (AUT) Andrea Roggia (ITA) 2017 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships and U 23 CC WSC Technical Delegate TD Assistant Jury Member Riikka Rakic, SUI Karl-Heinz Lickert, GER Emil Hecico, ROU 2017 Winter Universiade, Almaty (KAZ) Cross-Country Skiing Technical Delegate TD Assistant Marco Lustrek, SLO Sylvi Ofstad, NOR Ski Jumping Technical Delegate TD Assistant Chief Distance Measurer Judges Jan Jelensky, SVK Franck Salvi, FRA Fritz Pollhammer, AUT Nikolay Korobov, KAZ Marion Vettori, AUT Ivo Greger, CZE Erik Stahlhut, GER Short Summary FIS Council Meeting, Varna (BUL) June