Latest news with #Eliasch
Winnipeg Free Press
06-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Skiing body FIS signs Azerbaijan to five-year sponsor deal for world championships
GENEVA (AP) — Skiing's governing body signed the oil- and gas-rich state of Azerbaijan on Tuesday as its first global sponsor of world championships which face challenges from changing climate. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said the five-year deal with Azerbaijan's tourism agency through the 2030 season also includes the World Cup in some disciplines, including aerials, ski cross and snowboard cross. 'Above and beyond marketing rights, the core element of the strategic partnership is to promote and develop Azerbaijan's status as a world-class winter sports destination,' FIS said in a statement. The value of the sponsorship was not detailed. Azerbaijan has previously used its fossil fuels revenue to invest in soccer sponsorship with UEFA and Spanish club Atletico Madrid, and hosting Formula 1 races. The state led since 2003 by President Ilham Aliyev hosted the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015 and twice bid for the Summer Games, of 2016 and 2020. Baku was not accepted as an official candidate by the International Olympic Committee. FIS president Johan Eliasch is a long-time advocate for the environment, including in his campaign for the IOC presidential election in March that highlighted climate change. 'The urgency and scale of this challenge is increasingly real to people across the world, and they are desperately seeking practical and trustworthy leadership,' Eliasch wrote in his manifesto that claimed '80% of people around the world want more climate action.' FIS acknowledged in November 'winter sports and tourism face a bleak future because of climate change' when the Switzerland-based governing body announced a working partnership with the United Nations weather agency in Geneva. Azerbaijan 'is home to several ski resorts,' FIS said on Tuesday, and cited the Shahdag venue as a 'paradise for skiers and snowboarders, at more than 2,300 meters above sea level.' 'We are inviting the world to take another look and discover our country as a wonderful place of stunning mountain ranges and snow,' the chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Fuad Naghiyev, said in the FIS statement. Eliasch added the Azerbaijan partnership 'ticks all the boxes. It brings value to the entire range of our disciplines, to further the development of snow sports across all levels — from recreational to elite — and takes us into a new exciting growth market.' Azerbaijan has competed at each Winter Games since 1998 though has never won a medal. It sent two athletes to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, both in figure skating, and none in the six snow sports organized by FIS. ___ AP sports:
Fox Sports
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
Skiing body FIS signs Azerbaijan to five-year sponsor deal for world championships
Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Skiing's governing body signed the oil- and gas-rich state of Azerbaijan on Tuesday as its first global sponsor of world championships which face challenges from changing climate. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said the five-year deal with Azerbaijan's tourism agency through the 2030 season also includes the World Cup in some disciplines, including aerials, ski cross and snowboard cross. 'Above and beyond marketing rights, the core element of the strategic partnership is to promote and develop Azerbaijan's status as a world-class winter sports destination,' FIS said in a statement. The value of the sponsorship was not detailed. Azerbaijan has previously used its fossil fuels revenue to invest in soccer sponsorship with UEFA and Spanish club Atletico Madrid, and hosting Formula 1 races. The state led since 2003 by President Ilham Aliyev hosted the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015 and twice bid for the Summer Games, of 2016 and 2020. Baku was not accepted as an official candidate by the International Olympic Committee. FIS president Johan Eliasch is a long-time advocate for the environment, including in his campaign for the IOC presidential election in March that highlighted climate change. 'The urgency and scale of this challenge is increasingly real to people across the world, and they are desperately seeking practical and trustworthy leadership,' Eliasch wrote in his manifesto that claimed '80% of people around the world want more climate action.' FIS acknowledged in November 'winter sports and tourism face a bleak future because of climate change' when the Switzerland-based governing body announced a working partnership with the United Nations weather agency in Geneva. Azerbaijan 'is home to several ski resorts,' FIS said on Tuesday, and cited the Shahdag venue as a 'paradise for skiers and snowboarders, at more than 2,300 meters above sea level.' 'We are inviting the world to take another look and discover our country as a wonderful place of stunning mountain ranges and snow,' the chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Fuad Naghiyev, said in the FIS statement. Eliasch added the Azerbaijan partnership "ticks all the boxes. It brings value to the entire range of our disciplines, to further the development of snow sports across all levels — from recreational to elite — and takes us into a new exciting growth market.' Azerbaijan has competed at each Winter Games since 1998 though has never won a medal. It sent two athletes to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, both in figure skating, and none in the six snow sports organized by FIS. ___ AP sports: in this topic
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Olympics-IOC presidential hopeful Eliasch urges political neutrality
By Amy Tennery NEW YORK (Reuters) - Johan Eliasch, a candidate for International Olympic Committee president, said the global Olympic governing body should take care to avoid political issues, tamping down concerns over the impact of a potential travel ban on the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Sources told Reuters on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump was set to ban people from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the U.S. as early as next week, harkening back to his first-term ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The move would come three years before tens of thousands of athletes, coaches, officials and fans from around the world arrive for the quadrennial sport showpiece in Los Angeles. Asked how the IOC should respond if athletes from Pakistan or Afghanistan were unable to visit the U.S., the multi-millionaire Swedish-British dual national replied: "Let's put it this way: I think President Trump is somebody who will understand the importance of having the best athletes participate in LA28." "When it comes to political policies, we should always stay out of that, that theatre. And if we take sides, it's simply the wrong thing for us to do," he told Reuters in an interview. Eliasch, president of the International Ski Federation and one of seven candidates to succeed Thomas Bach as president of the IOC, swatted aside concerns that a travel ban could force the Games to be moved: "People understand that politics are politics and sport is sport." He has made political neutrality a key piece of his platform ahead of the IOC session held from March 18-21, when he hopes to earn the votes to succeed Bach following his departure in June. "Our political neutrality is founded in the fact that sport is a human right. And athletes can't - they can't choose where they were born," he said. "So therefore on no planet can one weaponise athletes for political purposes." His remarks come as Bach on Friday attempted to soothe concerns over Trump's influence on the Los Angeles Games, saying he was confident of the U.S. president's support. IOC OPPOSES UNIVERSAL TRANSGENDER RULE Trump signed an executive order banning transgender girls and women from women's sports last month, clashing with international norms and an IOC rule that allows transgender athletes to take part in the Olympics. Eliasch would move to block transgender participation in the Games, along with other candidates in next month's vote, a move he said would allow the IOC to "ring-fence" women's sport. The IOC has so far staunchly opposed imposing a universal rule, instead leaving it up to the international federations (IFs) to come up with their own rules for their sport. "The IOC can't apply a universal rule. It's for the IFs to choose whether they want to implement it or not," he said. "What we can do is apply rules for the Games. And here my position is very clear and that is if you're formed with the (sex-determining) SRY gene, you can never compete with women." The lengthy campaign for one of global sport's most powerful jobs has seen Eliasch at times at odds with long-time friends including World Athletics head Sebastian Coe, also a candidate for IOC president. Coe broke with decades of tradition last year when he offered prize money to athletics gold medallists at the Paris Games, a move Eliasch said was inconsistent with Olympic values. "If one went down this route, I think it's a slippery slope because you would then have to make sure that the prize money is equal across the board," he said. "And in some sports, the prize money that we could offer is just not meaningful."
Reuters
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
IOC presidential hopeful Eliasch urges political neutrality
Summary Eliasch emphasizes political neutrality for the International Olympic Committee Trump will understand importance of top athletes taking part in LA Games, IOC candidate says Eliasch wants stricter rules on transgender athletes at Games NEW YORK, March 7 (Reuters) - Johan Eliasch, a candidate for International Olympic Committee president, said the global Olympic governing body should take care to avoid political issues, tamping down concerns over the impact of a potential travel ban on the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Sources told Reuters on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump was set to ban people from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the U.S. as early as next week, harkening back to his first-term ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries. The move would come three years before tens of thousands of athletes, coaches, officials and fans from around the world arrive for the quadrennial sport showpiece in Los Angeles. Asked how the IOC should respond if athletes from Pakistan or Afghanistan were unable to visit the U.S., the multi-millionaire Swedish-British dual national replied: "Let's put it this way: I think President Trump is somebody who will understand the importance of having the best athletes participate in LA28." "When it comes to political policies, we should always stay out of that, that theatre. And if we take sides, it's simply the wrong thing for us to do," he told Reuters in an interview. Eliasch, president of the International Ski Federation and one of seven candidates to succeed Thomas Bach as president of the IOC, swatted aside concerns that a travel ban could force the Games to be moved: "People understand that politics are politics and sport is sport." He has made political neutrality a key piece of his platform ahead of the IOC session held from March 18-21, when he hopes to earn the votes to succeed Bach following his departure in June. "Our political neutrality is founded in the fact that sport is a human right. And athletes can't - they can't choose where they were born," he said. "So therefore on no planet can one weaponise athletes for political purposes." His remarks come as Bach on Friday attempted to soothe concerns over Trump's influence on the Los Angeles Games, saying he was confident of the U.S. president's support. IOC OPPOSES UNIVERSAL TRANSGENDER RULE Trump signed an executive order banning transgender girls and women from women's sports last month, clashing with international norms and an IOC rule that allows transgender athletes to take part in the Olympics. Eliasch would move to block transgender participation in the Games, along with other candidates in next month's vote, a move he said would allow the IOC to "ring-fence" women's sport. The IOC has so far staunchly opposed imposing a universal rule, instead leaving it up to the international federations (IFs) to come up with their own rules for their sport. "The IOC can't apply a universal rule. It's for the IFs to choose whether they want to implement it or not," he said. "What we can do is apply rules for the Games. And here my position is very clear and that is if you're formed with the (sex-determining) SRY gene, you can never compete with women." The lengthy campaign for one of global sport's most powerful jobs has seen Eliasch at times at odds with long-time friends including World Athletics head Sebastian Coe, also a candidate for IOC president. Coe broke with decades of tradition last year when he offered prize money to athletics gold medallists at the Paris Games, a move Eliasch said was inconsistent with Olympic values. "If one went down this route, I think it's a slippery slope because you would then have to make sure that the prize money is equal across the board," he said. "And in some sports, the prize money that we could offer is just not meaningful."
Zawya
20-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
International Sports Press Association (AIPS) meets International Olympic Committee (IOC) Presidential Candidate Johan Eliasch on 25 February
Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) since 2021, was elected as an IOC Member in 2024, with his candidature linked to his function within an International Federation (IF). The Swedish-British businessman, philanthropist and long-time environmentalist, who turned 63 on 15 February, wrote in his manifesto: 'I may not be a veteran of the IOC, but I am no novice. My experience has equipped me with the exact skill sets needed for this role. There can be no better apprenticeship in sports administration than running a big international federation – and FIS, which I lead, is one of the largest, covering 14 disciplines and delivering 55% and 80% of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games medals respectively.' On Tuesday, 25 February, Eliasch will be the second guest on 'Let's Talk to the IOC Presidential Candidates', a series of Q&A sessions that offers a unique platform for the candidates to communicate their vision for the Olympic movement to sports journalists from different parts of the world. The meeting, which is organised by AIPS and is exclusive to AIPS members, will be conducted by the AIPS President Gianni Merlo. REGISTER NOW ( to receive the meeting link. Simultaneous translation will be provided in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Arabic. Eliasch is also a member of the British Olympic Association and a member of the Association of International Winter Olympic Federations. He previously served as a director of Special Olympics Great Britain and is the chairman of the international sports goods company HEAD, based in Austria. Beyond sports, Eliasch is an environmental expert. He served in the UK Government as the Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Deforestation and Clean Energy. In 2005, he created the Rainforest Trust and in 2006, he co-founded Cool Earth, a charity dedicated to rainforest conservation. CLICK HERE ( to find out more about Johan Eliasch's candidature. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Sports Press Association (AIPS).
