Dwight Bell: "We Are on the Same Page"

Lausanne, 27 June 2026 – An eventful month is drawing to a close for FIL President Einars Fogelis and Secretary General Dwight Bell. Following the Congress in Berchtesgaden and a highly important trip to high-level stakeholders in Korea and China, the FIL leadership duo attended the 146th Session of the International Olympic Committee, followed immediately by the General Assembly of the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF).

"It was an intense few days," says Dwight Bell. "And among all the smaller and larger developments that were presented, the most important takeaway was that we, as an international federation, find ourselves on the same page as the IOC and our fellow winter sports federations."

"The close cooperation that already exists with other organisations will continue to be developed constructively," adds President Einars Fogelis. "IOC’s 'Fit for the Future' is a guiding principle that is reflected to a very large extent in our strategy document 'We Slide Forward 2034'."

The programme in Lausanne included briefings with IOC President Kirsty Coventry, representatives of the IOC Sports Department and the organisers of the upcoming Winter Games Alpes françaises 2030. "As is now widely known, the International Olympic Committee has introduced a grant of USD 10,000 for every athlete participating in the Olympic Games," says Bell. "We welcome this decision, particularly in view of the fact that it is not prize money for the best, but a participation grant for everyone."

Even as June draws to a close, the workload for Fogelis and Bell shows no sign of easing. Important engagements in central Europe for the former and North America for the latter are already making the coming World Cup season feel very close!