The betrayal that ended Andorra's dream

El Tarter (Andorra)Reykjavik, June 5, 2024. Andorra is preparing for what should be a historic day. The country, thanks to the Grandvalira ski resort, is about to reap the rewards of a journey of many years that should culminate in its selection to host the 2029 World Ski Championships. It is the strongest, most modern, and best-structured bid. Or so they had been told. Everyone took it for granted. "Is the cava in the fridge yet?" some teams said before the International Ski Federation (FIS) meeting began. Nothing foreshadowed a plot twist. A backroom deal, a pact behind the president's back, and a decision more political than sporting that undid all the work done. A wound that has not yet healed.

It had been three years since the FIS had changed presidents. Now Johan Eliasch, a Swedish businessman who had become a naturalized British citizen and who had led the multinational sporting goods company Head for many years, was in charge. Like his predecessor, the Swiss Gian-Franco Kasper, he also viewed the Andorran candidacy favorably. In fact, it was under Kasper's presidency that Grandvalira began to emerge as an elite in skiing, breaking with the stereotype that said that The Pyrenees were only for beginnersBut the big difference is that Kasper was in the position for 23 years, while Eliasch had just arrived. With the turn of the century, Andorra decided to take a step forward in skiing, modernizing its resorts and using elite competition to put the country on the map. In 2012, it began to reap the rewards by hosting its first World Cup event. The high point came in 2019 with the finals. The ultimate prize, the World Championship, was still to come. "Everyone at the FIS was delighted, and they were the ones who encouraged us to take the plunge," explains David Hidalgo, CEO of Grandvalira. The first step: learning how backroom politics work

The first attempt was for the 2027 World Cup"We knew we were unlikely to win, but it was important to raise our profile and learn how this backroom world works." After that first rejection, and with the lesson learned, Grandvalira went all in for the 2029 edition. Once the bid was formalized, the rivals to beat were Narvik (Norway) and Val Gardena (Italy).

It was assumed that Narvik's bid was doomed because it received the lowest score. That left Val Gardena, which had already hosted the World Championship in 1970. But Andorra played its cards right, hosting the World Cup Finals again (2023) and having the explicit support of the FIS president. But there was one hurdle to overcome: the commercialization of television rights. A battle that put the countries of Central and Northern Europe, who called themselves the Snowflake countries, on high alert.

"They didn't want to give up their share of the pie and punished them," says Hidalgo. Andorra was collateral damage. At the last minute, they secretly agreed to give the victory to Italy. Elisach found out and made a move to force a double vote: the 2029 and 2031 races would be chosen suddenly. This would guarantee that Grandvalira would host one of the two. The move couldn't have backfired worse: Snowflake made a deal at the last minute. The technical reports were thrown in the trash: Narvik would host the 2029 edition and Val Gardena, the 2031 one.

The Women's World Cup returns to Andorra

Life goes on, and this weekend Andorra once again hosted a World Cup event: the women's downhill and super-G races. For now, this is all Grandvalira can aspire to. The 2033 World Championship will be chosen in 2028, and it hasn't yet been decided whether they will bid again. Having learned their lesson, Hidalgo and his team will decide based on how the situation unfolds. "I always said that a World Championship was 99% politics and 1% sporting project. I was wrong by 1%."