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Johan Eliasch, President of the International Ski Federation (FIS) arrives for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Michael Kappeler/dpa
Controversial Johan Eliasch was ousted after five years as president of the governing ski and snowboard federation FIS by one vote in a dramatic election on Thursday.
The British-Swedish billionaire and owner of ski company Head was beaten 65-64 by opposing candidate Alexander Ospelt of Liechtenstein at the FIS congress in Belgrade for a four-year term.
The vote came after leading nations such as Austria, Switzerland, Norway and Germany as well as top skiers including Swiss Marco Odermatt, American Mikaela Shiffrin and Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen had voiced discontent with the way Eliasch led the FIS and called for change.
"This years-long nightmare is over," German federation board member Stefan Schwarzbach told dpa.
He expressed hope that FIS "will become what it used to be, a federation that serves its members, takes them serious and puts sports at the centre of all its activities."
The result means that Eliasch also loses his membership in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which was tied to the FIS job.
He accused the IOC to have tried "to influence the outcome" of the vote and urged that FIS must withstand such attempts as an independent organization.
Eliasch also spoke of "a win-win situation" in the vote: "Either I get my life back or win the election. I am happy either way."
Eliasch was elected president in 2021 in succession of long-serving Swiss Gianfranco Kasper and re-elected unopposed in 2022 after the big federations failed to oust him.
The 64-year-old pledged wide-ranging reforms and more income for FIS and member federations. But he has been criticised for the way he led FIS, controversial marketing initiatives and alleged financial problems. Athletes also did not feel adequately represented by him.
Eliasch was only able to stand for re-election when he was nominated by Georgia after receiving a passport from the country. Neither Britain nor Sweden backed him for another term.
The vote was originally scheduled for later Thursday but moved forward to the start of the congress. Delegates then also voted to use paper ballots instead of an electronic system.
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