The posh Swiss resort of Crans-Montana apparently played with stacked cards when it came to winning the 2027 Alpine Ski World Championships. Now there are consequences.
Due to a fraudulent contract, the 2027 Alpine World Championships may not take place in the Swiss luxury ski resort of Crans-Montana as previously planned.
According to the world association FIS, its member Swiss Ski had to officially admit three years before the title fights that it had only faked the existence of the required financial guarantees when applying for 2022.
The FIS, which had relied on financial commitments from both the Swiss National Association and the canton of Valais and the municipality when making the World Cup decision, then announced on its website at the weekend that the World Cup competitions would be re-allocated: “If Swiss Ski does not fulfill its obligations “The FIS will have no alternative other than appointing another host for the 2027 World Cup.”
The German candidate Garmisch-Partenkirchen was one of Crans-Montana’s inferior competitors in the awarding of the 2027 World Cup a good two years ago.
Alpine Ski World Cup 2027: Fake guarantees in Crans-Montana? FIS reacts
According to FIS, the Swiss association sees no possibility of providing financial guarantees without conducting citizen surveys.
For this reason, Swiss Ski subsequently asked for an exemption from the mandatory submission of guarantee declarations. This situation is apparently also the reason for the delays in signing the contract to host the World Cup in three years.
In view of the Swiss’s alleged attempt at deception in the award process – and the associated fraud on competitors – the FIS publicly denounced its Swiss member organization: “The confirmations for guarantee declarations were completely forged. An exception to the rule for a candidate who submitted fake application documents “Granting it would damage the integrity of the application process and ultimately the sport of skiing.”
Crans-Montana, where a downhill and a Super-G were scheduled for the Women’s World Cup at the weekend, had already been awarded the 2027 World Cup in the first round of voting at the FIS Congress in Milan in 2022 with eleven out of 18 votes.
Garmisch only received one vote for his attempt to take the title fight for the third time after 1978 and 2011. Other applicants included the Norwegian candidate Narvik and Andorra’s Soldeu winter sports resort. In 2025, Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria will be the venue for the next Alpine World Championships.