Industry News
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has published its new rule book for the 24/25 World Cup season and has included a ‘wildcard’ option for retired athletes. In its latest version from July 29, 2024, the FIS included the surprise entry option for retired champion skiers. A wildcard is an entry for a competitor to a tournament that they would not qualify for under the existing qualification criteria. Wildcards are, for example, known in tennis, where athletes can enter the Wimbledon Tournament or Australian Open by means of this exemption.
Under the definitions stated in the FIS rule book, a retired athlete can win a wildcard slot provided he or she has won a FIS World Cup Overall season title or an Olympic Gold Medal or World Championship Gold Medal. Alternatively, winners of a World Cup event season title, such as Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, or Slalom, also qualify, provided they have won a minimum of five World Cups. The athlete who requests a wildcard must be retired from the FIS World Cup for a minimum of two and a maximum of ten years.
The addition of a wildcard entry will enable several retired skiers to stage a comeback but will most directly benefit Dutch-Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher, who announced his comeback earlier this year. Hirscher will gain a direct entry to the 24/25 World Cup season through the wildcard without having to qualify via the Australian and New Zealand Cup (ANC) and FIS Open races. However, Hirscher is still planning to fly to New Zealand for training and competitions in August.
The athlete confirmed his decision to stick to his plan with the Austrian Press Agency (APA), stating, “It’s a good idea that the FIS now apparently wants to introduce a wildcard system because this has also proven itself in other sports. As far as my plans are concerned, the announcement does not change anything for the time being: I will fly to New Zealand on August 9, and I hope for good test and training conditions there. I would also like to participate in one or the other FIS race in Coronet Peak. Then I will see where I am at after five years away from the sport”.
It will be interesting to see how Hirscher will fare at the first FIS competitions of the season in Coronet Peak, New Zealand. Coronet Peak will host four FIS Slalom and Giant Slalom events from August 15-19 and another four FIS Slalom and Giant Slalom events from August 27-31.
The wildcard option could be a potential draw card for other retired athletes to come out of retirement. The wildcard option is however only attractive for nations without a large pool of young athletes, as the wildcard is included within a nation’s existing quota for starting spots.
