Johan Eliasch has been chairman of the International Ski Federation (FIS) since 2021, according to reports. He is described as a controversial figure who has advocated for Russia to be readmitted to the international stage and has been in open conflict with several major ski nations over how commercial rights to competitions should be sold, sources indicate. Last month, the British ski federation, which nominated Eliasch when he was elected chairman five years ago, announced that it no longer supports him and instead nominates Victoria Gosling, the operations manager of the British ski federation.
FIS statutes say that individuals can only be nominated by a federation from a country where they have a passport, so Eliasch, according to information to SVT Sport, hoped that he would instead be nominated by Sweden. However, SVT revealed last week that Sweden chose to reject Eliasch's invitations and instead nominated the sitting FIS board member Karin Mattsson for a new term as board member.
Eliasch has instead been nominated for the chairman position by the Armenian ski federation, according to SVT. Eliasch has no known connections to Armenia, but in the country the president can issue citizenship to people who have made exceptional contributions to the country, or made significant contributions to the country's economy, science, education, culture, healthcare, or sports, sources say. It remains unclear what specific exceptional contributions or significant contributions to Armenia Johan Eliasch might have made to potentially receive Armenian citizenship, and his current passport or citizenship situation regarding Sweden and Armenia is not confirmed.
Sweden is currently the only country that can keep him as chairman, and according to information to Expressen, it is not ruled out that they will do so. Whether Sweden will ultimately nominate or support Johan Eliasch for the FIS chairman position is unknown.
Gosling and Eliasch are not the only candidates for the chairman position. The following people, who all currently sit on the FIS board, are also nominated according to SVT Sport's information: Dexter Paine from the USA, Alexander Ospelt from Liechtenstein, and Anna Harboe Falkenberg from Denmark. The official reasons why the British ski federation withdrew its support for Johan Eliasch have not been disclosed.
Eliasch had a fortune of just over 12.4 billion kronor last year, highlighting his billionaire status, reports indicate. The timeline and process for the FIS chairman election, including when the final decision will be made, are not detailed in the available information.