FIS Receives 3 Bids to Host 2029 Alpine World Championships

Every two years, the International Ski & Snowboard Federation’ FIS’ holds World Championships in its various disciplines. The last World Championships were this year, with Courchevel and Méribél, France, being hosts of the Alpine World Championships. Other FIS disciplines, like Cross-country or Freestyle, hold their events for logistical reasons in separate locations. For example, this year’s Cross-Country World Championships were held in Planica, Slovenia, while Freestyle events were held in Bakuriani, Georgia.

Similar to the Olympics, the appointment of the host for the next World Championships is made several years in advance. The next World Championships will be in 2025, with the prestigious Alpine disciplines held in Saalbach Hinterglemm in Austria, while Cross Country will be in Trondheim, Norway, and Freestyle in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The locations for 2027 have also been decided, and Alpine will be held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, but the decision for 2029 host nations will not be made until next year at the 55th FIS-congress which will be held on June 4, 2024, in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Last week, FIS announced they received three bids for the 2029 FIS Alpine World Championships from Narvik in Norway, Soldeu in Andorra, and Val Gardena in Italy. Norway has never hosted an Alpine World Championship except in 1952 when these were part of the Winter Olympics, and Oslo hosted the Olympics. Soldeu, Andorra, held this past season’s World Cup Finals but has never held a World Championship. Both countries have made bids before but were unsuccessful in securing the Alpine World Ski Championships. Val Gardena is a first-time candidate, but Italy has held six World Championships, most recently in 2021 in Cortina d’Ampezzo. All resorts have held FIS-level events in the past, so they are very well-equipped and experienced.

The next step in the selection process will be for each candidate to submit a detailed concept for their bid by August 1, 2023, based on a specific FIS questionnaire. It covers essential elements, such as venues and facilities, workforce and volunteers, sustainability, transportation, security, organization structure, and financing. After receiving these formal concepts, meetings will be held with representatives of each candidate, giving candidates time to amend their final formal bid. In April 2024, these will be published and distributed to the National Ski Associations, Technical Committee chairs, and the FIS Council. The FIS Council will elect the winning bid in June.

The last time America hosted the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships was in 2015 in Vail and Beaver Creek in Colorado. It is a shame there is no North American bid for 2029, as it would surely help raise the profile of Alpine Ski racing in America.