What’s in a name? FIS votes not to change title to add ‘snowboard’

International snowboarding. Photo: Felipe Giacometti

OBERHOFEN, Switzerland. — The International Ski Federation (FIS) Congress voted, earlier in the month, to not make a name change that could have added the word ‘snowboard’ to the title of the organization. It’s keeping the name as-is after two new name options were brough forward. The first proposal was International Ski and Snowboard Federation and the second was International Snowsports Federation.

“All three alternatives had my full support. Today, the members decided on the name they feel represents FIS best. But an important lesson learned today is that there is a desire from our stakeholders that we do a better job of being inclusive of all disciplines in our daily communication and promotion of FIS,” said FIS President Johan Eliasch in a statement.

FIS includes cross country, ski jumping, nordic combined, alpine, snowboarding, freestyle and freeski, as well as speedskiing, grass skiing, telemark and masters racing.

US Ski and Snowboard, headquartered in Park City, includes the seven sports of alpine, freeski, freestyle, cross country, ski jumping, nordic combined, and snowboarding. USA Nordic is the National Leadership Organization for ski jumping and nordic combined. While they are also under the operational umbrella, in more ways than not, of the national governing body (NGB) of the US Ski and Snowboard, biathlon, para alpine skiing, para cross country skiing and para snowboarding are currently sovereign entities having officially, over past decades, evolved in and out of what is now US Ski and Snowboard. 

Jamie Anderson, two-time gold and one-time silver medal-winning slopestyle snowboarder said yesterday in a Team USA Beijing 2022 virtual Media Summit regarding the FIS vote, “I do know some snowboarders who would have a lot to say about that decision, but I’m not one of them.”

Team USA snowboardcross athlete Hagen Kearney who competed in the 2018 Olympic Games in PeyeongChang spends time in Salt Lake City where he played in a band. Kearney had this to say in the Media Summit in reaction to the vote, “FIS needs snowboarding more than snowboarding needs the FIS.”

In part to bring itself into alignment with optimal fundraising resources, in 2017 US Ski and Snowboard changed its name, merging its compartmentalized US Ski Team and US Ski Association (USSA), and added the word ‘snowboard’ to the title of the organization. Click here to donate to US Ski and Snowboard.