The International Ski Federation (FIS) has awarded the marketing of all commercial rights for the 2019 and 2021 World Ski Championships in the alpine and Nordic events to Infront Sports & Media.
The agency will be responsible for the worldwide distribution of the marketing rights to the events, including title sponsorship, presenting sponsorship and hospitality packages.
The FIS had been in talks with the European Broadcasting Union to renew its deal for the global media and marketing rights to the World Championships.
The consortium of European public-service broadcasters’ current deal covers the 2015 and 2017 events and had an exclusive negotiation period that ran until the end of last month, but the FIS opted to allow Infront to take control of the 2019 and 2021 events, whose hosts are yet to be determined.
As media and/or marketing partner to the majority of national associations hosting FIS World Cup events across various disciplines, Infront is already deeply involved in the sport on a global level. On the sponsorship side, Infront has successfully implemented a streamlined sponsorship approach across more than 40 races in alpine skiing.
The FIS made the announcement at its spring meeting in Cavtat-Dubrovnik, Croatia, where it also confirmed it is to tighten its rules on accepting sponsorship from gambling and betting companies.
The federation said that title and presenting rights will no longer be awarded to commercial betting companies.
The body has also introduced new rules surrounding athlete sponsorship, with athletes now prohibited from carrying adverts for gambling operators on racing suits, or having such companies as a main sponsor.
Race organisers will still be able to strike deals with betting companies for sponsorship at events, but on a smaller scale.