Fostering Collaboration for Human Rights: A Special Event at the FIS Spring Meetings

The event, held during the Spring Meetings, was led by invited experts in the field of snow sports. Among the speakers were Adam Hall, a New Zealand Paralympic alpine skiing World Cup athlete; Mathilde Grenet, founder of “En Garde,” an organization that advises sports organizations on safeguarding; Eddie Marshbaum, Head of Sport at Quest; and Ken Read, a former Canadian alpine skiing legend.

During the first session, FIS specialists joined the external speakers to lead the discussions. The team of specialists included individuals like Alexandra Blum, Andrea Rinaldi, Sandra Spitz, and Dimitrije Lazarovski from FIS, along with Cornelia Blank, FIS Education Project Manager, and Daniela Lux from UMIT Tirol. Additionally, David Grevemberg from the Centre for Sport and Human Rights and Gabriela Mueller Mendoza, a specialist in Diversity and Inclusion in sports also shared their insights with the participants.

The idea for such an event emerged from a survey conducted by FIS with NSAs which highlighted the need to address human rights issues in snow sports. The event aimed to raise awareness among stakeholders in the snow sports community by fostering collaboration across all disciplines. This was evident through the participation of individuals like Fiona Stevens, Michel Vion and Susanna Sieff from various departments within FIS which made it a valuable opportunity for stakeholders in snow sports community to come together to discuss important issues.