Honour and responsibility . KSC president elected to FIS Council
Departed as KSC President and Chairman of the Organizing Committee Hahnenkamm Races, returned with the additional function as FIS Council Member. Michael Huber's trip to the 55th International Ski Congress on 5 June 2024 in Reykjavik, Iceland, will live long in the memory.
As a background information. Following preliminary discussions, the Tyrolean Ski Association submitted a proposal this spring to nominate Michael Huber from Kitzbühel for FIS election within the Austrian Ski Association. This proposal was approved by a majority at the OESVs Presidents' Conference at the beginning of April and the proposal was then officially submitted by Austria to FIS. A total of 23 nominations were put forward by the 76 voting members of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, 18 of which were to be elected to become a FIS Council member in accordance with the statutes.
On Wednesday 5 June, the election took place at the FIS Congress in Reykjavik, Iceland, where our Kitzbühel candidate achieved the fifth-best result of all candidates with 115 votes or 92% of the votes cast and will be represented on the FIS Council as a volunteered official for the next two years term from 2024 to 2026.
In his introductory speech, which was broadcast publicly on the internet, Michael Huber was able to refer to his 33 years of experience in positions of responsibility for the club, in particular the Hahnenkamm Races, as well as his extensive international experience as Chairman of the Alpine Rules Subcommittee for almost half of this time. Our President named the following five points as his goals in the event of his election:
1) Commitment to a better mutual understanding between FIS and its member Federations
2) Support democratic decision-making processes within the FIS
3) Focus his activities on sport matters
4) Contribution to the adaptation of FIS organizational structures to modern requirements
5) Principle of fair competition as the basis for achieving exceptional performance at all levels.
Michael Huber is thus the first person from Kitzbühel to be represented on the highest body of FIS. At the various receptions following the Congress, Michael Huber was able to express his thanks for the trust placed in him in personal contacts and to emphasize the awareness that this entails the highest level of responsibility. Michael Huber was also able personally to thank Patrick Ortlieb, who has been in office for Austria for the past two years and is now leaving the FIS Council, and to express his mutual respect.
In addition to the 18 elected members, Johan Eliasch will remain as President through his four-year elected term of office. Four further members will be added due to their function as athletes' representatives for men and women and para sports, bringing the total number of council members to 23.
The K.S.C. members and friends of the Hahnenkamm Races will certainly receive further reports from our President on other interesting topics from the ranks of the FIS family.
