Just two weeks after dramatically resigning as Chief Executive Officer of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), Urs Lehmann is heading back to FIS. On Friday, June 19, 2026, newly elected FIS President Alexander Ospelt and the FIS Council announced that Lehmann will return as Secretary General ad interim beginning July 1, 2026. He will remain in the role until the end of March 2027, providing operational continuity during a period of significant leadership transition. The appointment comes after both Lehmann and outgoing Secretary General Michel Vion announced their departures during what has been one of the most turbulent periods in recent FIS history.
For followers of the federation’s recent political drama, the announcement represents a remarkable turnaround. Earlier this month, Lehmann resigned as FIS CEO after less than a year in the role. According to reports from Swiss media, the former Swiss-Ski president had clashed repeatedly with former FIS President Johan Eliasch over the federation’s financial outlook. Lehmann reportedly warned that FIS was facing a structural annual deficit of approximately CHF 15 million ($18 million) and privately expressed concerns that the organization could face insolvency within two years if the situation was not addressed.
His resignation became one of the defining moments of the presidential election campaign that ultimately saw Eliasch voted out and replaced by Ospelt at the FIS Congress in Belgrade earlier this month. With Eliasch now gone, the political landscape inside FIS has shifted dramatically. Rather than severing ties with the federation, Lehmann has now agreed to return in a temporary capacity while FIS reassesses its executive structure. According to Friday’s announcement, the FIS Council will establish a working group to review the future leadership model of the federation and determine whether changes to the FIS statutes are necessary.
The Council will also create a separate financial working group tasked with reviewing FIS finances and preparing recommendations where required. Those two initiatives appear to directly address many of the concerns that dominated the election campaign.
The interim appointment also gives Ospelt a trusted and experienced administrator during his first months in office. Lehmann is one of the most recognizable figures in international skiing, having competed on the Alpine World Cup circuit before later serving as president of Swiss-Ski and then CEO of FIS.
Importantly, Lehmann’s return does not mean he is staying permanently. FIS confirmed that an open recruitment process for a permanent Secretary General will begin before March 2027. The federation says the search will be supported by professional human resources consultants to ensure a transparent and objective selection process. For now, however, one of the most outspoken critics of FIS’s previous leadership will once again find himself helping run the organization.
Just weeks ago, Lehmann described the situation inside FIS as “no longer bearable.” Now, under a new president and a new Council mandate, he has been tasked with helping steer the federation through what could become one of the most consequential reform periods in its history.