OMM Newsroom
The International Ski Mountaineering Federation’s (ISMF) 19th plenary assembly was held on October 17 in Zakopane, Poland. According to Inside The Games and the ISMF’s official website, the meeting adopted decisions on the federation’s leadership, anti-doping rules and the participation of Russian athletes in competitions.
Swiss national Regula Meier was re-elected federation president for another four-year term. Gunel Badalova, secretary general of the Azerbaijan Winter Sports Federation, Frenchman Pierre-François Dupont and Norwegian Frank Holen became ISMF vice presidents. Spain’s Oriol Montero Garcia and Slovakia’s Zuzana Rychlikova joined the council.
Restrictions on Russia upheld
After reviewing a decision adopted by the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board on July 7, 2026, the assembly upheld the restrictions imposed on Russia. No ISMF-sanctioned competitions will be held on Russian territory, and representatives of state bodies will not be accredited or invited to federation events. Russian athletes in the senior category are barred from using national symbols. Their participation in competitions will, however, be determined separately in accordance with licensing, sporting regulations and anti-doping rules.
The assembly approved the budget for the 2026/2027 season, anti-doping rules due to take effect in 2027, and the Athletes’ Declaration. The mountaineering federations of Kosovo and North Macedonia were admitted as full members, while the Mountaineering Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was admitted as a provisional member.
Tirana, the capital of Albania, will host the 2027 plenary assembly. The 2028 meeting was confirmed for October 14, but its host city has not yet been selected.
Azerbaijan’s representation
The election of an Azerbaijani representative to the ISMF leadership increases the country’s representation in international winter sports bodies. In 2025, Shahdag hosted the first-ever Ski Mountaineering World Cup stage in Azerbaijan, followed by the European Championships in 2026.
The ISMF has listed expanding the competition calendar, supporting national federations and athletes, broadening its international reach, and strengthening ski mountaineering’s position within the Olympic movement among the new leadership’s priorities.
