Andorra's Patrick Toussaint Regains FIS Council Seat After 10th-Place Finish

Patrick Toussaint, vice-president of Andorra's FAE ski federation, has regained a seat on the FIS Council after placing tenth out of 27 candidates for 18 positions at the 57th Annual Congress in Belgrade, Serbia, on Thursday.

Toussaint, who held the role from 2022 to 2024 before losing it amid the rejection of Andorra's bid for the 2029 Alpine World Ski Championships, earned 79 votes. He joins council members Michael Huber (Austria), Flavio Roda (Italy), Magdalena Kast (Argentina), Deidra Dionne (Canada), Tove Moe Dyrhaug (Norway), Fabien Saguez (France), Ken Odashima (Japan), Franz Steinle (Germany), Dexter Paine (United States), Victoria Gosling (Great Britain), Jean-Philippe Rochat (Switzerland), May Peus (Spain), Zhao Wang (China), Nevena Ignjatović (Serbia), Martti Uusitalo (Finland), Tomaž Kunstelj (Slovenia) and Jana Palovičová (Slovakia).

After the result, Toussaint called his earlier removal "a punishment levelled at Andorra that we had to pay for." He added that the team had "done the work to get back in" and was now "heading home satisfied."

The congress also marked a narrow presidential transition, with Liechtenstein's Alexander Ospelt defeating incumbent Johan Eliasch 65-64. Eliasch, in office since 2021, had often supported the FAE's World Cup events and championship bids, though some linked Andorra's prior council exit to internal FIS tensions over those efforts.

In his first remarks as president, Ospelt emphasised fairness for smaller nations, urging larger states to show solidarity and pledging equal treatment for every federation.

The FIS is examining plans to hold World Championships annually rather than biennially, excluding Olympic years, a shift that could benefit future Andorran bids. Organisers separately awarded the 2029 Para Alpine Worlds to Bardonecchia, Italy, while the 2031 cross-country venue remains undecided.

Toussaint's return secures Andorra's voice on the council as the FIS enters a new era under Ospelt.