To the INTERNATIONAL SKI FEDERATION - Members of the Sub-Committee for Alpine World Cup Blochstrasse 2 - Peter Gerdol, Chief Race Director World Cup Women 3653 Oberhofen/Thunersee - Markus Waldner, Chief Race Director World Cup Men - Jean-Philippe Vuillet, Race Director World Cup Women Speed Events , Race Director World Cup Men Speed Events Tel +41 33 244 61 61 - Markus Mayr, Race Director World Cup Women Technical Events Fax +41 33 244 61 71 - Emmanuel Couder; Coordinator Men’s World Cup

For information to: - Gian Franco Kasper, FIS President - Sarah Lewis, FIS Secretary General - , Chairman Alpine Committee - Atle Skaardal, Technical Expert Alpine - Stefano Pirola, Chairman Continental Cups - Jenny Wiedeke, FIS Communications Manager - Jürg Capol, Marketing Director - Stefan Huber, FIS Event Director - Janez Fleré, FIS Alpine Technical and Administrative Coordinator

Oberhofen, 28.05.2020

Minutes of the online meeting Sub-Committee Meeting for the Alpine World Cup Wednesday, 20.05.2020, 09:00.

Dear Ski Friends,

We are pleased to send you the minutes of the online meeting of the Sub-Committee for the Alpine World Cup, which was held on 20th May 2020.

We kindly ask that you to send any remarks to the FIS Alpine Office in Oberhofen by the 12th June 2020 ([email protected]).

We would also like to take the opportunity to inform you that the minutes are available on the Member Services section of the FIS Website: www.fis-ski.com.

Thank you very much for your valuable contribution.

Kindest regards,

INTERNATIONAL SKI FEDERATION

Bernhard Russi Interim Chairman Sub-Committee for Alpine World Cup

Enclosure: mentioned

INTERNATIONAL SKI FEDERATION Sub-Committee for Alpine World Cup

Minutes of the online meeting of the Sub-Committee for Alpine World Cup Wednesday, 20.05.2020, 09:00

All proposals and decisions of the Sub-Committee are subject to the confirmation of the Alpine Committee and to the approval of the FIS Council in May 2020

1. Welcome and opening of the meeting Bernhard Russi, Interim Chairman of the Sub-Committee for Alpine World Cup, opens the meetings and welcomes all presents.

2. Roll-call Janez Fleré, Alpine Coordinator, calls the Roll (attached list).

3. Approval of the agenda The agenda is approved by the Sub-Committee.

4. Approval of the minutes of the meeting held in Zurich (SUI) on 04.10.2019 The minutes are approved by the Sub-Committee.

5. Reports a) from the Interim Chairman Bernhard Russi Being the first Sub-Committee in which Bernhard Russi (FIS) takes part as interim chairman he has no report to present. He then passes the floor to the Chief Race Directors.

b) from Markus Waldner, Chief Race Director World Cup Men Markus Waldner (FIS) welcomed everybody and he went through a short report from his side. He talked about the last winter and the warm temperatures that effect LOCs workforce. He wanted to thank the organisers for the big efforts they put on the slope preparations and he mentioned the climate change issue that they had to face the last winter and, in the future as they get bigger and bigger, mentioning the difficulty of always ensuring the high level of slope preparation.

Great opening in Soelden which guaranteed a perfect race thanks to the snow farming operations. Levi and oversea events, Canada and Colorado have been smooth and they provided top-quality events. Val d’Isère and Sud Tyrol block faced a challenging weather situation that forced the postponement of Val d’Isère to and ’s Downhill to . China's Olympics Test Event has to be cancelled due to the first Covid-19 outbreak and hopefully the women’s tour can test the slope in a World Cup level. In this regard, he thanked Saalbach and OSV for their willingness to host those races in very short notice. ’s races faced extremely warm temperatures and a lack of snow, but we have been able to save the Giant Slalom. Unfortunately, also has been affected by a strong fog that led to the

cancellation of the super G. Due to the Covid19 outbreak in , the season suffered a drastic interruption with -7 races delivered.

He mentioned the great enthusiasm generated by the public and TVs for the home- victories of their favourites and the consequent positive promotional impact of the sport. The Overall battle has been very thrilling with 3 top athletes contending for the big globe, despite the cancellation of Cortina’s finals. He congratulates Alexandre Aamodt Kilde for his consistency throughout the season competing in 5 disciplines. He also took the opportunity to thank all the partners, the stakeholders and FIS team for good cooperation. c) from Peter Gerdol, Chief Race Director World Cup Women Peter Gerdol (FIS) also welcomed everybody and he went through a short report of his first World Cup season. He also mentioned the exceptional temperatures and the big amount of snow the World Cup faced during the winter.

The technical events went well and had no particular problems. Soelden and Levi, as already mentioned, were two perfect events. Killington and St. Moritz had very critical weather forecasts the days before the events but in the end the races went well. Courchevel, Lienz, and Flachau were positive events with very good conditions. Sestriere had a big snowfall the night before the Giant Slalom but the LOC worked all night long to make the event possible. For the first time ever the women’s tour raced the PGS, the course-setting has had good feedback from coaches and athletes. Maribor faced a lack of snow but Kranjska Gora took the lead and they made an incredible job to provide two amazing races. Ofterschwang also faced a lack of snow and there was no way to do the race or find a replacement. The search for a replacement occurred during the first signs of Covid-19 in Europe and this made it even more difficult to find an alternative solution.

The speed events, like always, faced more challenges. The weather in Lake Louise changed radically compared to the men's races and the organizers had to fight the snowfall all week long but the programme has been completed with 3 races done. Val d’Isère also faced a very difficult situation and for the second year in a row, they’ve lost both races. Altenmarkt-Zauchensee provided perfect conditions and there were no issues except we couldn’t start from the original downhill start due to the weather situation. For the second year in a row, Rosa Khutor faced big snowfall and we risked not to make any race but thanks to the organisers we have been able to race the super G. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, after the men's races and following heavy rain, the track conditions had deteriorated and it was really difficult to improve the situation. Thanks to the organizers and the technology at their disposal we were able to run both races. and Crans Montana no issues and perfect races.

He emphasized that this year FIS with coaches wanted to work more on the safety of the athletes with shorter jumps and safer course-setting. The goal is to improve the confidence of the athletes and then return to have more difficulties on the race- slope. As always, great help comes from the European Cup races that are held on World Cup slopes to allow younger athletes to compete at a high level.

The last part of the season was marked by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe and La Thuile’s races were the first to take safety measures through guidelines to ensure the protection of participants. Åre was ready to host the events but following the discovery of a case of Covid-19 among the staff, it was decided to cancel the race weekend. In general, we are happy and positive about the participation of the public in our events. The well-deserved victory of Federica Brignone (ITA)'s Overall, who proved to be the most consistent athlete during the season, deserves a mention. He also congratulated Corinne Suter (SUI) and Petra Vlhova (SLK) for their discipline titles. He also mentioned the dramatic loss suffered by Mikaela during the winter which was followed by an interruption of the competitions. At the end he thanked all the NSA, organisers, host broadcasters and the FIS team for the great support throughout the season.

Wolfgang Maier (GER) congratulates both teams for having addressed a difficult winter and the toughest decisions. d) from Sarah Lewis, FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis (FIS) started her speech by thanking all the partners and the stakeholders congratulating on how they faced last season, citing especially the organizers who suffered the damage of the cancellation due to Covid-19 pandemic. She then pointed out that the main goal at the moment is to focus on the future and how to approach next season in the most positive way with right solutions. She explained how important next season will be to safeguard the future of our sport and the World Cup and the Alpine Skiing World Championships are key sources for the future of our sport.

As already mentioned, finding solutions is the main focus of FIS work, mostly on travel restrictions and event limitations for the organisers. The hopes are in the implementation of Plan A, which means the normal flow of the approved calendars and in case there is a need, to adapt them, but plan B is crucial in order to react in a proper way without too many side effects. The Council will, therefore, establish a task force composed of members of the NSAs, organizers, rights holders, FIS Officials and other stakeholders with the goal of working on a potential contingency plan in case travelling restrictions and sports event organization measures make it impossible to stage a classic World Cup season.

FIS solutions:

- Block calendar strategy - Restrictions: light, strong and extremely strong measures. - Calendar 2020/21definition at the end of September following periodic

evaluations with all stakeholders. - Implement Covid-19 Event cancellation with 30 days deadline - FIS Covid-19 Prevention guidelines for event organisers - Reduce costs

She concluded her speech by recalling how important it will be to continue to maintain clear and transparent communication and she reminded that through the necessary precautions, a solution-oriented approach and a strong willingness the World Cup will be possible.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) thanked Sarah Lewis for her speech and he showed his positivity on the execution of plan A. He also stressed how important the focus on the costs of events will be with the proposal to make the World Cup cheaper for the Organisers. e) from Jürg Capol, Marketing Director He started his presentation giving an overview on the past season and he underlined how much winter sports show great interest, especially in countries such as Germany, and Switzerland. Although there were no major events, except the Biathlon World Championships, the interest shows positive tendencies. Despite the particular season the average impact per competition increased by 8%. The core market is represented by 5 countries which generate 74% of the viewers. Germany and Austria are generating 50% of the media impact in general. Seeing this data, the goal is distributing the values and increasing the viewers. The market share comparison showed a big interest in Alpine skiing. Focusing on the cumulative audience increased by 51% and on the other hand Alpine skiing media impact in Austria decreased by 16% maybe after ’s retirement.

He then illustrated the difficult situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic impact in the world of sport in general and in our case in Alpine skiing if the World Cup would not take place. As has already mentioned, the hopes are in the implementation of Plan A, which means the normal flow of the approved calendars and in case there is a need, to adapt them. Plan B is essential to preserve the World Cup in case the global future prevents a normal schedule due to: travel restrictions, strict event regulations and critical health situation.

The priority of FIS is to ensure that the World Cup 2020/21 season takes place in a safe and fair environment, addressing challenges and finding solutions with extreme flexibility.

He also underlined the importance of Media and Marketing rights as the two most important aspects that generate income on sports events.

Martin Rufener (CAN) asked how it will be possible to safeguard the fairness of the sport in case of Plan B due to travel restrictions.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) replies that this topic will be discussed later.

6. Rules Season 2019/20 6.1 GER Proposal 1, Starting order DH/SG Bernhard Russi (FIS) explained that starting order proposals have already been discussed internally and considering future changes within the organisation proposes to postpone the decision on this matter with the aim to take the right decision.

6.2 GER Proposal 2, Starting order DH/SG Wolfgang Maier (GER) agreed with Bernhard.

6.3 SUI Proposal, Starting order (2 Versions) Thomas Stauffer (SUI) also agreed with Bernhard.

6.4 AUT Proposal, Starting order Peter Obernauer (AUT) also agreed with Bernhard.

6.5 NOR Proposal, Replacement of competitors in Parallel Bernhard Russi (FIS) asked if everybody agreed with this proposal.

Thomas Stauffer (SUI) underlines the fact that this proposal will impact more the women’s side and not much the men’s side. He also asked to align it for all disciplines PAR included.

Marius Arnesen (NOR) also agreed.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) claimed that the proposal has been accepted.

6.6 Quota Qualification Bernhard Russi (FIS) asked if everybody agreed with this proposal.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) claimed that the proposal has been accepted.

6.7 Quota Qualification PAR events Thomas Stauffer (SUI) explained that the proposal emerged after Women’s and Men’s coaches working groups with the aim of not killing the discipline but allowing to have 50/60 athletes at the start.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) claimed that the proposal has been accepted.

6.8 SRS Proposal, Accommodation Bernhard Russi (FIS) asked the committee to re-deal this proposal due to a short notice.

Peter Obernauer (AUT) asked Club5 to explain this proposal.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) explained in details the proposal and he accepted to postpone the decision to Autumn meetings.

Wolfgang Maier (GER) asked Club5 to make a proposal that does not create problems for the teams during the season because, as it was structured last

season, it created misunderstandings and therefore asks to submit a final and considered proposal.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) accepts to postpone the final decision to autumn meetings.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) confirms to table the proposal to the next meetings.

7. Calendars 2020/21 Peter Gerdol (FIS) goes through the 2020/2021 calendar for the women’s Tour and mentions the following events:  Addition of /Zürs Parallel event week-end.  Addition of first of January Davos Parallel event.  China’s Olympic Test event will be straight after Cortina’s World Championships.

Markus Waldner (FIS) goes through the 2020/2021 calendar for the men’s Tour and mentions the following events: Markus Waldner (FIS) thanks (FRA) to work with them on calendars decisions  Addition of Lech/Zürs Parallel event week-end.  Addition of first of January Davos Parallel event  Regarding the cancellation of the Olympic tests in China there have been requests to be able to run them in the next season but it has not been possible to include this stage in the men's calendar in comparison with the other organizers. Also, no Men’s downhill teams are allowed to forerun women’s race in China.  Cortina’s World Championships will certainly be the highlight of next season. Unfortunately, the finals were not played due to Corona-19 outbreak but the Italian championships held last winter were a good test for the men.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) assured that the test in China will have no issues. Markus Waldner (FIS) wanted to stress the importance of maintaining positivity in this difficult situation but at the same time being realistic and taking inspiration from other sports as a benchmark. Everyone's goal is to move forward with Plan A and therefore a normal schedule, but it is essential to work on a concrete Plan B to face the future. Plan B sees the calendar divided into 4 or 5 (if necessary) blocks, focusing on the main disciplines and separating men from women. This decision will be taken, the latest in September and it will give time to the organizers to analyze their financial situation.

He explained the proposal to ensure a minimum number of participating nations (7 of the 10 main nations must be present).

Bernhard Russi (FIS) asked the Council to take action on those matters.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) underlined the fact that September is too early to take such a decision and he expresses his preference for Plan A with the possibility to react during the season venue by venue. He asked once again to make the World Cup cheaper for the Organisers.

Martin Rufener (CAN) showed his positivity to the concept that Markus presented. He underlines once again the importance of fairness for the athletes who are unable to

attend events because of travel restrictions and he asked if there would be a possibility to freeze WCSL and FIS points for one season.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) underlined once again the importance of having this upcoming World Cup season and he can see the possibility to freeze the WCSL points for those who can’t take part to the races.

Tito Giovannini (Infront) saw that September is too late to make these decisions.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) claimed that all the stakeholders will work together to find the right solution with the common aim to have next season World Cup.

Wolfgang Maier (GER) showed his appreciation for plan B.

8. World Cup calendar proposals 2021/22 – 2022/23 Peter Gerdol (FIS) goes through the 2021/2022 calendar for the women’s Tour and mentions the following events:  The previous calendar had 4 week-ends in a row with speed events, so he decided to move Crans Montana after the Olympics to give more alternation.  Lenzerheide took the first weekend of March with 2 tech events.  There are still two open spots at the beginning of the season: Killington at the end of November TBC and Austria last week of December TBC.  40 races in total.

Peter Gerdol (FIS) goes through the 2022/2023 calendar for the women’s Tour and mentions the following events:  There are still two open spots at the beginning of the season: US at the end of November TBD and Austria at the end of December TBD.  Spindleruv Mlyn took the first weekend of March.  Sestriere will replace Courchevel races before Christmas.  Parallel weekend in November is still open.

Peter Obernauer (AUT) propose Lech/Zürs to cover 2021/22 and 2022/23 for the Parallel event at the beginning of November.

Alfons Thoma (ITA) propose Livigno for the Parallel event at the beginning of November.

Peter Gerdol (FIS) will consider those options.

Patrick Lang (AIJS) asked Meribel and Courchevel World Cup finals’ plan. Peter Gerdol (FIS) replied that from Monday to Thursday Men and Women’s will race speed events in Courchevel and then move to Meribel for tech events.

Markus Waldner (FIS) mentioned that the spot for the Parallel event at the beginning of November has 4 candidates: Levi (FIN), Livigno (ITA), new ski dome in Oslo (NOR), Lech/Zürs (AUT). It was decided to leave the position open for the moment and give the possibility of a rotation system.

Markus Waldner (FIS) had no comments regarding the future calendars.

Thomas Stauffer (SUI) stated that Swiss-Ski wants to replace for the 2 upcoming years with another Swiss venue.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) asked the reason behind this proposal.

Thomas Stauffer (SUI) explained that Wengen and Swiss-Ski have a court case open and until the situation is resolved, Wengen cannot be on schedule for 2021/22 and 2022/23.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) suggested being very careful with this decision because it could affect the entire World Cup.

Patrick Lang (AIJS) underlines the fact that the 2022/23 calendar has already been approved by the Council, so it is surprising that it can be changed once approved. He also underlines the fact that if Swiss-Ski decides not to support Wengen then the weekend must return to FIS management.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) understood Patrick Lang’s opinion and Wengen’s races importance but on the other hand, Swiss-Ski’s decision has to be accepted. He, therefore, calls for this matter to be redirected to the Council.

Urs Napflin ( LOC) expresses his surprise about this unexpected decision by Swiss-Ski. He emphasized how hard work is behind this great event and asked the FIS to consider not to destroy the reputation of one of the most classic World Cup events.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) again claimed that this is not the place for a discussion between the LOC and National Ski Federation.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) underlines once again the dangerousness of this action.

Christian Scherer (OSV) asked to consider to implement Lech/Zürs for the 3 upcoming years.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) replies that the Council will endeavour to consider long-term calendars and longer contracts.

Markus Waldner (FIS) showed his surprise about Wengen issue. He is frustrated by this situation because his aim has always been to have clear and respectful communication with the organizers and the federations. He, therefore, asks Michel Vion to help to resolve this situation and to consider the fact that this date may no longer be a Swiss-Ski date. According World Cup Rules this Event goes back to FIS which will decide about the new assignment.

Urs Napflin (Lauberhorn LOC) described Wengen’s investments with the aim to deliver a perfect highlight event. He stressed the importance of having long-term contracts to enable organizers to take advantage of past and current investments.

9. Parallel Events Rules Markus Waldner (FIS) explains that the Parallel format has been adapted also taking into consideration the athletes’ recommendations. The Parallel race will have a run and re-run format to ensure a fair competition. To keep the format short and interesting, the parallel race will start from the round of 16 (not 32 as until now) with the 16 fastest athletes from the qualification race. When both genders are present, the losing competitors in the quarter-finals will be ranked from 5 to 8 according to their total time (run and re-run), without having to race for their position. Parallel will be the final denomination (no more PGS or PSL). The course setting will be with an average distance between 16 and 20 meters using GS equipment with the purpose of safeguarding athletes’ safety.

Wolfgang Maier (GER) expressed doubts about the qualifications and the allocation of World Cup points.

Markus Waldner (FIS) explained that the plan is to have the qualification runs on the same slope of the race except for Cortina because we can’t afford to destroy the race slope before the final race. He also agreed to award WC points to 1-30 athletes.

Iiro Kaukoniemi (FIN) asked if prize money will be awarded even if no World Cup points are awarded.

Markus Waldner (FIS) confirmed that prize money will be awarded.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) claimed as approved the Parallel rules.

10. Miscellaneous 10.1 Proposal - 500 Overall World Cup points Bernhard Russi (FIS) explained the proposal to decrease the 500 Overall World Cup points to 400 Overall World Cup points due to the exceptional season and the cancellation of several races due to Covid-19.

Daniel Yule (Athletes Representative) proposed to wait until autumn to take a decision on this matter and see how the calendars will develop.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) agreed with and wait to confirm this proposal.

10.2 Prize Money - Payment procedure Bernhard Russi (FIS) asked if the Legal Committee already expressed its opinion in regard. Janez Fleré (FIS) replied that he didn’t receive any information.

Srecko Medven (Club5 President) asked to wait and table this proposal to autumn.

Christian Scherer (OSV) claimed that prize money should be harmonized. He believes that the method implemented by FIS-Alpine skiing works very well and does not understand why it should be changed, but proposes to extend it to other disciplines.

Bernhard Russi (FIS) confirms to table this proposal to autumn meetings.

Daniel Yule (Athletes Representative) agreed to table this proposal to autumn. He also agreed with Christian Scherer that the method used until now doesn’t need any changes.

11. Next meeting – To be confirmed by the FIS Council FIS Autumn Meeting, Zurich (SUI), 27th September to 3rd October 2020

12. Closing of the meeting Bernhard Russi (FIS) concludes by thanking all participants.