For almost two years he led the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and during the CMs in Planica, NRK meets him after he gives a speech in the VIP section.

Most eyes are on the Swedish billionaire, who then sits around a table as he leads the conversation with five or six other people who are described as “very important people”.

Through a successful career in business, the 61-year-old has built a network that few can match. Aksel Lund Svindal, Lindsey Vonn and Hermann Maier were among those who vouched for Eliasch to meet the challenges of skiing.

– We have changed our own statutes more than in perhaps 50 years. A number of changes have been made to coordinate our plans with the goals we have set ourselves, Eliasch tells NRK with satisfaction.

Controversial leadership figure

Eliasch says he is satisfied with the measures that have been taken since his election in June 2021. They have included the right to parade, new sports have been integrated and better climate accounting. But Eliasch was and still is controversial.

Former FIS cross-country committee leader Vegard Ulvang issued a warning and called for transparency on internal discussions. NRK commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt claimed he was unhappy with his alleged lack of respect for the organisation.

He was discreet in front of the media. But before heading to Georgia to visit the snowboard, freestyle and freeski world championships, he devoted a few minutes to NRK.

Naturally, some of them concerned Russian participation. It’s been a year since Aleksandr Bolsjunov met the Norwegians on the ski slope. Eliasch is clear which side of the debate he is on:

– I think it is important that every organization in all sports show solidarity and support the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in these difficult times. Because if sport is politicized for political reasons, it could be the end of sport as we know it, the FIS president tells NRK.

Since the IOC wrote in a press release that the athletes wanted Russians and Belarusians to return to competition, the debate has raged in national and international media. At home in Norway, it started with Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen expressing that the demand for “non-discrimination on the basis of passports is inevitable” at an IOC meeting. She faced opposition, but was supported by Martin Fourcade.

Warns against political interference

Two independent UN experts believe it is a violation of human rights to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus. Law professor Trond Solvang is among those who think this is a gross oversimplification of the situation.

– The core values ​​of the IOC are based on the fact that sport should not be political, and should be for the athletes and for peace. These values ​​are very important to defend. These are difficult times and of course an athlete cannot choose where they come from, but at the same time what is happening now is very polarizing, says Eliasch.

NRK knows that there have been major disagreements within the board of directors on the subject. Norway has made it clear that it does not want Russia to participate because of the war in Ukraine.

Eliasch met Russian ski president Jelena Välbe in person in Zurich in October. He says they are in contact with the Russian and Ukrainian federations. Furthermore, he stresses the importance of showing solidarity with war-torn Ukraine.

When asked how to distinguish between sports and politics in Russia, he shares the argument with the IOC:

– I think it is very important that we examine all aspects of this case, because sport is a human right. And we must believe in and defend human rights. It is in this context that you have to look at the sport linked to this conflict, says Eliasch.

Silence during the meeting with the IOC President

Eliasch arrived in Planica after a successful Alpine Skiing World Cup in France, where he notably met IOC President Thomas Bach.

– It was a private visit, so I have no comment on that, replies Eliasch, who strongly warns against political intervention in the autonomy of sport.

Recently, representatives from more than 30 countries signed a letter to the IOC, demanding that they explain the concept of “neutral athletes”. Until there is a clear definition, they do not want to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international sports.

The United States, Japan, Canada and Norway are among the signatory countries of the letter, on the initiative of Great Britain. Culture Minister Anette Trettebergstuen represented Norway at the meeting.

She explains the context of political interference as follows:

– This is because the IOC is now toying with the idea of ​​letting Russian athletes in again, which the Norwegian sports movement and we, as ministers from many countries, consider completely out of the question. It has been a year since the brutal war of aggression began and there is no way to distinguish between politics and sports from a Russian point of view. This is part of the propaganda and it is not at all relevant to be handed over to the Russians again, Trettebergstuen tells NRK. .

– The President of the FIS, Johan Eliasch, believes that sport must be in solidarity with the IOC. It could be the end of the sport as we know it, he says. What’s your answer to that?

– I think when it comes to extreme cases like this, I think the IOC should listen to national sports and look at what the values ​​of sport really are. I insist on the fact that Russians cannot let go when we know that sport and politics are much the same in Russia.

Most of the Russian athletes who participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2022 are part of the Russian Armed Forces. Those who excelled in the championship received rewards in the form of military promotion. Some were also honored at a commemoration of the annexation of Crimea in early March last year.