Johan Eliasch re-elected as FIS president through 2026 Olympics

Re-elected to lead skiing and snowboarding through the 2026 Olympics, Johan Eliasch believes his mandate for change trumps pushback from traditionalists.

Eliasch was unopposed on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) ballot but some in the room and online for the election meeting in Milan challenged the voting rules and a few delegates walked out.

The billionaire owner of sportswear brand Head was first elected last year in a contest. Eliasch promised to change race formats and presentation, and pledged to bring commercial rights in-house to gain FIS more control and revenue.

They left no doubt this week that he's not their choice.

Asked whether any ill-feeling toward him will linger, Eliasch took a long pause in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

"I think everybody realizes that it would be bad for them to be seen to stand in the way of change," he said. "We will get through this."

His win again showed how in Olympic sports politics a few nations that dominate on the field of play can be outvoted by broad support elsewhere.

Soccer bodies also rely on a centralized marketing model that Eliasch wants for FIS. He also admires the packaging of Formula One.

Eliasch compares F1 to skiing's dynamic of athletes guided by team principals and relying on technicians, and leans on its long-time former boss Bernie Ecclestone for advice.

"We need a television show like `Drive to Survive,"' Eliasch said of the Netflix hit that takes viewers behind F1 scenes. "We can't do that because we don't have the [broadcast] rights."

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Court battles with the Swiss agency Infront, FIS' partner in a joint venture since 2009, have marked Eliasch's first