The International Ski Federation (FIS) governing body has announced that it has received applications from St. Moritz, Engadine, Switzerland, and Lillehammer, Hafjell, Norway, to host the first-ever FIS Games in 2028.
In May, the FIS contacted all national member federations with the bidding guide for the event that will include Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines staged during a 16-day period during the non-Olympic and non-World Championship season.
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St. Moritz hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championship in 2017, and the region is set to host the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championship in 2025.
Lillehammer has staged many FIS and multi-discipline events, having hosted the Youth Olympic Games in 2016 and the Winter Olympic Games in 1994.
The applicants provided an outline of their candidacy concept, including the available venues and the potential event program, which the FIS Evaluation Group will review, providing feedback to the candidates.
The group will then stay in dialogue with the potential hosts to finalize the projects, which will then need to be submitted by March 31, 2024.
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By GlobalDataThe Evaluation Group will then suggest the most suitable host to the FIS Council, which will announce the host at the FIS Congress on June 4, 2024.
FIS secretary general Michel Vion said: “We are thrilled with the strong interest to hold this first-time event. Both regions are well-known hosts of top-level FIS events and bring a wealth of experience and a rich heritage of snow sports.
“They also have a wide array of facilities which meet the needs of the FIS Games to showcase the entire line-up of FIS disciplines and offer an exhilarating time for athletes and fans.”
FIS president Johan Eliasch added: “I have long believed that FIS is ideally positioned to hold a showcase event like the FIS Games as we have such an amazing variety of sports and disciplines to present to the world.
“For 16 days, our athletes will be the focal point of the sporting world. I can think of no better opportunity to promote skiing and snowboarding and lead the way on inclusivity, projecting an inspiring message about the positive impact that our sport can have.”
The FIS Games will feature the six Olympic skiing disciplines while highlighting select non-Olympic disciplines such as Telemark, Speed Skiing, and Freeride, with the event program set to be determined by which candidate wins hosting rights.
The inaugural FIS Games were originally intended to begin next year. When the concept was first unveiled by Eliasch in October 2022, he said that the first edition would be held in 2024 and the second in 2028.
Now, however, that has been pushed back four years.
