The World Ski Federation FIS wants to market its top races centrally in the future. The German Ski Association is taking action against this – and has now achieved its first success in a court in Munich.
In a few weeks it will be all about victories, podium places and World Cup points in various winter sports disciplines. Away from the slopes, cross-country ski trails and jumps, the German Ski Association (DSV) has already achieved success – namely in court against the World Association Fis. At the DSV’s request, the Munich I Regional Court issued an interim injunction, according to which the Fis may not implement a decision to introduce central marketing in the World Cup as planned (Az 37 O 7091/24).
There was great relief and satisfaction in the DSV after the court verdict. The Fis, however, has already announced an appeal and caused a stir with an unusually aggressive press release and allegations against the court.
What is this case about?
On April 26, the Fis Council decided to market its sports world cups centrally in the future, i.e. to sell advertising and media rights in a bundle. This is a departure from the previous practice, according to which each association decides on the international media rights for the events in its country. The Fis claims to be able to generate more revenue and open up new markets, for example in Asia, the USA or Saudi Arabia. But the associations do not want to give up their rights and income opportunities. In addition to the DSV, the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) also went to court.
Why are the national associations fighting so vigorously against the Fis decision?
The associations generate a large part of their annual income by marketing the World Cups abroad. In the DSV, for example, this makes up around a quarter of the total budget. This not only finances the top events such as the Four Hills Tournament or the Alpine highlights in Kitzbühel or Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but also smaller disciplines such as the Nordic Combined and young talent in general. “It’s about our livelihood,” says DSV board member Stefan Schwarzbach to the dpa.
How did the Munich I Regional Court rule in the case?
First of all, the court made it clear that the Fis cannot take away the DSV’s international media rights in order to market them centrally. The Fis decision of April 26th violated European antitrust law and constituted an “inadmissible intended restriction of competition,” it said. The court found that Fis was exploiting “its dominant market position to the detriment of the German Ski Association”.
How does the DSV react to the legal success?
“We noted the verdict with relief,” said DSV board member Schwarzbach. He hopes to find a solution to the dispute with the FIS. “The hand remains outstretched. We have repeatedly emphasized in the last few weeks and months that we are ready for talks and negotiations. We hope that the verdict will lead to a certain rethinking at the FIS and that we will improve communication between the world association and the national ones Associations can continue in partnership and on an equal footing.” Such a dispute – and this is not the first between the associations and the Fis under the controversial President Johan Eliasch – is particularly damaging to sport.
And what does the Fs say?
She is angry. Possibly taken by surprise by the court’s clear verdict, the world association immediately announced legal action – it can appeal to the Munich Higher Regional Court. “Fis will appeal the decision, which is completely wrong,” said an exceptionally aggressive press release. In this, the Fis complained about the court’s “unacceptable and unprofessional” approach to its press release on the verdict, which was “misleading”. The Fis emphasized that the decision only affected the DSV and could not be transferred to other national associations. However, the court did not explicitly state this in its press release.
But could the ruling have consequences beyond Germany?
That is conceivable. The ÖSV had also filed a lawsuit and negotiations are scheduled to take place there at the end of November. It is to be expected that the judges there have heard the decision of their Bavarian colleagues. Even if the Munich ruling should only apply to the DSV, it can be interpreted as a pointer across national borders. This is exactly what is likely to cause unrest at the Fis and be the background to the aggressive press release.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
