During the Spring Meetings, an event focused on addressing human rights issues in snow sports was held. The discussions and presentations were led by invited experts, including individuals such as Adam Hall, Mathilde Grenet, Eddie Marshbaum, and Ken Read. Adam Hall is a New Zealand Paralympic alpine skiing World Cup athlete while Mathilde Grenet is the founder of “En Garde,” an organization that advises sports organizations on safeguarding. Eddie Marshbaum is the Head of Sport at Quest, a company specializing in investigations, security, and integrity. Ken Read is a former Canadian alpine skiing legend.
The first session of the event saw FIS specialists joining 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. Cornelia Blank, FIS Education Project Manager and Daniela Lux from UMIT Tirol also shared their insights with the participants. David Grevemberg from the Centre for Sport and Human Rights and Gabriela Mueller Mendoza, a specialist in Diversity and Inclusion in sports also contributed to the discussions.
The idea for such an event emerged from a survey conducted by FIS with NSA’s which highlighted the need to address human rights issues in snow sports. The goal of this seminar was to raise awareness among stakeholders in the snow sports community about these issues while fostering collaboration across all snow sports disciplines.
The collaboration across various FIS departments was evident during this seminar through individuals like Fiona Stevens, Michel Vion, and Susanna Sieff who were present.
Overall this seminar provided an opportunity for stakeholders in the snow sports community to come together to discuss important human rights issues facing athletes and work towards solutions that can make a positive impact on their lives.
