121st General Assembly Of Swiss-Ski Reports Conclusion Of Most Successful World Cup Season In History

In terms of the number of World Championship medals won in Olympic sports, the 2024/25 fiscal year was the most successful in Swiss-Ski's history. It officially concluded on Saturday in Fiesch, Valais. At the 121st Delegates' Assembly, the numerous successful athletes were honored, and Jörg Abderhalden was announced as a new member of the Executive Board.

At its Delegates' Meeting, chaired for the first time by Peter Barandun and Urs Lehmann as Co-Presidents, Swiss-Ski was once again able to look back on an extremely successful year in terms of sport. In the 2024/25 season, the club successfully defended its first place in the Alpine Skiing World Cup Nations Cup by a large margin, achieved 134 World Cup podium finishes in nine different sports, and won six Crystal Globes. With 25 medals at elite World Championships, Swiss-Ski was more successful than ever in Olympic sports. With 13 medals, including a triple triumph in the men's combined team event and four additional World Championship titles, Swiss-Ski experienced the second most successful Alpine World Championships in its history in Saalbach. In the Engadin, Switzerland topped the medal table at the Snowboard and Freestyle Ski World Championships for the first time ever, with five gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

These home championships in snowboarding, ski cross, freeski, aerials, and moguls, as well as the Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, will go down in history as wonderful sporting events. They left lasting impetus for the development of young talent in Swiss snow sports, underscored the great innovative power of the local organizing committees, and strengthened the international reputation of Swiss-Ski.

Voters approved both the Executive Board's annual report and the 2024/25 annual financial statements. At the Delegates' Meeting, Jörg Abderhalden was also announced as a new member of the Executive Board. The three-time Swiss wrestling champion and President of the Eastern Swiss Ski Association (OSSV) was elected by the Interregion East as its representative on the Swiss-Ski Executive Board. Abderhalden succeeds Marco Gut, who had been a member of the board since 2020.

Urs Lehmann, Co-President said "Our stable financial foundation helps us make necessary investments. Only then can we successfully develop the sport sustainably." 

Thanks not least to the numerous sporting successes of recent years, Swiss-Ski enjoys considerable financial stability. The operating surplus for the 2024/25 fiscal year, for which Walter Reusser (CEO Sport), Diego Züger (CEO Commercial), and Claudia Lämmli (COO/CFO) were responsible at the association's executive board level, amounts to CHF 112,411. "Our stable financial foundation helps us make necessary investments. Only in this way can we sustainably and successfully develop the sport – from the grassroots level of the snow sports clubs to the world's elite – in a dynamic and changing environment," explains Urs Lehmann, Co-President of Swiss-Ski.

A much-discussed topic throughout Swiss sports is the impending 20 percent cut in Youth+Sport contributions. Swiss-Ski is opposing the measure announced by the Federal Office of Sport. "Our minimum requirement is that contributions remain at the current level of CHF 1.30 per training hour and CHF 16 per camp day," said Urs Lehmann in Fiesch. To ensure this, the federal government's Y+S credit would have to be increased by CHF 20 to 30 million from the current CHF 115 million. "We, the associations, are working toward this goal with Swiss Olympic in dialogue with politicians."

Among the highlights of the 121st Delegates' Assembly, hosted by the Eggishorn Ski Club, was the ceremonies honoring the numerous medal winners at World Championships, the World Cup, and junior championships. Swiss-Ski also bid farewell to those snow sports athletes who have retired in recent weeks and months.

To great applause from the delegates, Gaudenz Bavier was named an honorary member of Swiss-Ski in Fiesch. The 66-year-old most recently served as president of the Graubünden Ski Association (BSV) for twelve years. Eight people who have rendered outstanding services to Swiss snow sports received the Golden Badge of Merit, namely Mariette Brunner (President of Loipen Schweiz from 2013 to 2024), Willi Dettling (former Alpine Skiing World Cup coach), Stéphane Gaillard (long-standing official for Ski Romand, among others), Osi Inglin (long-standing coaching activity at various levels in Alpine skiing, among others), Frédéric Koehn (former President of Ski Romand and initiator of the Landing Bag project in Leysin), Hansjürg Kunz (former Alpine Skiing World Cup coach, among others), Manfred Liechti (employee at the Swiss-Ski headquarters for 35 years) and Didi Waldspurger (organiser of the Swiss Skicross Tour for two decades).

The supporting program for the Delegates' Assembly saw several new additions on Saturday morning. For the first time, the delegates in attendance, or rather the members of the snow sports clubs, had the opportunity to participate in presentations and discussions. Didier Défago and Daniel Bollinger provided an update on the status of preparations for the 2027 Alpine World Ski Championships in Crans-Montana, while the Swiss-Ski youth development representatives provided insights into their work. The morning program was rounded out with discussion panels featuring various athletes, including this year's World Championship medalists Luca Aerni, Noé Roth, and Pirmin Werner.

The next Swiss-Ski delegate meeting will take place on July 4, 2026 in Schangnau BE.