The Federation of European Ski & Snowboard Associations (FESA) held its Annual General Meeting on 6 May 2026 as part of the FIS Technical Committees in Portorož, Slovenia. The meeting was marked by continuity at the top of the association, personnel renewals and the further strategic strengthening of FESA within the international skiing world.

 Confirmations and new elections to the Management Board

Roswitha Stadlober (AUT) was unanimously confirmed as President of FESA for another two years. In her speech, she thanked all FESA members for the trusting and constructive cooperation of the past legislative period and was satisfied with the development of the association. The path of professionalisation in the interests of the member associations will be consistently pursued in order to sustainably strengthen FESA's positive development in the winter sports world.

Dr. Franz Steinle (GER) was also confirmed in his office as Vice-President for the coming period.

Wojciech Gumny (POL), Vice-President of the Polish Ski Federation, who will act as FESA Vice-President for the next two years, was newly elected to the Management Board . With his experience and international network, he strengthens the breadth of the FESA management board.

Dr. József Fürstner (HUN) did not run again, as he no longer holds an official position within the Hungarian Ski Federation. FESA would like to thank him very much for his commitment and contribution over the past two years.

There is also a change of leadership in the FESA Marketing Group: Jožko Križan from the Slovenian Ski Federation hands over the chairmanship of the FESA Marketing Group to Melanja Korošec, also from Slovenia. As Chief Strategy Officer of the Elan Group, she brings extensive strategic expertise and will play a key role in driving the further development of FESA marketing. FESA would like to thank Jožko Križan for the past years as Chairman of the Marketing Group and for the strategic development.

The chairmen of the sports commissions were also elected unanimously.  

FIS and FESA: Partnership at eye level

A special sign of the growing cooperation was the participation of FIS CEO Urs Lehmann and other FIS experts as guests at the Annual General Meeting. Together with President Roswitha Stadlober, Urs Lehmann underlined the open, constructive and partnership-based exchange between the two associations and reaffirmed the intention to continue the close cooperation and to grow even closer together at joint events.

Stadlober was particularly pleased with the open dialogue and close coordination since the joint kick-off in Sölden in autumn2025.

FESA Speed Academy & FIS Speed Clinic: First joint implementation

A first concrete fruit of this cooperation was the FESA Speed Academy / FIS Speed Clinic, which successfully took place in Sölden, Austria, at the beginning of April 2026. The joint format underlines the efforts of both associations to specifically promote and further develop the alpine speed disciplines.

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For the 2026/27 season, plans are already underway to increase the number of events. Events are planned in:

📍 Gröden, Italy

📍 Sölden, Austria

📍 Further location in Switzerland (under consideration) 

Record participation & growth in the disciplines

Jakob Winkler, FESA Secretary General, was able to present pleasing figures: In the 2025/26 season, a total of around 10,000 young athletes competed in the FESA competitions across all disciplines – an impressive testimony to the growing importance of FESA in European junior sport. Further growth is actively discussed and promoted in the respective discipline committees.

In addition, FESA was able to announce the first approved Erasmus+ project and is already working on further project applications – again in close coordination with the FIS Education department.

Marketing & Sponsoring: Financing of Youth Sports

Moritz Beckers-Schwarz, responsible for Marketing and Partnerships, presented the first sponsors of FESA and emphasized that commercial partnerships are a central building block in the financing of junior sports. In view of rising costs in event organisation, further partnerships are essential to secure FESA's growth course in the long term.

European Ski Jumping Championships: Concept meets with positive response

Dr. Franz Steinle presented the first concept developments for the European Ski Jumping Championships. FESA members reacted positively to the project and expressed the desire to extend this concept to other FESA disciplines in the future – a possible next big step for the association.

"On behalf of the entire Management Board, I would like to thank our members for the trust they have placed in us and for reaffirming our common path. I am particularly pleased that we were able to successfully implement our first cooperations with the FIS and on an equal footing. FESA is on a very good path – we have become more professional, we are growing and we are creating real added value for European junior sport. We will continue on this path with full energy and conviction. Today's election is both an incentive and an obligation for us. "

– Roswitha Stadlober, President of FESA

The next FESA General Assembly will take place at the FIS Technical Meetings in Geneva at the end of September 2026.