Ivica Kostelić, Jan Hudec sound off on FIS, call for change
Former Olympic and World Cup medallists Jan Hudec and Ivica Kostelić didn’t hold back the punches on a recent podcast when discussing athlete safety and fairness on the World Cup tour.
Citing the controversy over the men’s second run slalom start order at the world championships in Cortina – where FIS representatives initiated a reverse top-15 flip because of forecasted warm temperatures – Hudec and Kostelic spoke on The Next Turn podcast about the powerless position athletes have to advocate for themselves and for any type of change on the international circuit.
The Cortina top-15 debate raged on for days after the event and has left the two former World Cup racers, who have a combined 479 World Cup starts and 65 podiums, calling for change.
Hudec, who raced for Canada for 12 years before ending his career with the Czech team, spoke candidly with host Martin Wilson about the dire need for athlete representation within FIS.
Hudec’s main concern is the growing injury rate, which he feels can be attributed to decisions that put athletes safety on the back burner.
“If the athletes were better protected they would not be afraid to speak the truth,” said the two-time World Cup winner and Olympic medallist. “You have the top athletes in the world that basically have zero protection compared to all other professional sports. They’re basically served on a pedestal to the TV, and if someone falls off, nobody is responsible and nobody is accountable to them.”
The Croatian Kostelić, a 26-time winner on the World Cup, was equally verbal on the subject and did not hold back his criticism. After speaking out against the top-15 flip rule directly to FIS officials in Cortina, he was shortly thereafter reminded of the complacency by some coaches and officials.
“Some of the coaches went to congratulate me for speaking up,” he said. “I asked them, ‘Why didn’t you speak up? Why didn’t you join me?’ Our choice is to stand there and be like sheep or we can speak out.”
“I told them don’t forget many great evils in the world are a result of violence from few over the silence of many. This is going to keep happening if we don’t stand up together.”
Hudec also questions if the international governing body has the athletes’ best interest at heart.
“Protect the athletes, give them a bubble of protection and then the athletes will speak the truth and will together fight for justice.”
Athletes in many professional sports have a direct voice in decision-making, such as the NHL Players Association and the newly formed Professional Tennis Players Association, created by world No. 1 player Novak Djokovic and Canadian Vasek Pospisil, which formed in 2020.
Hudec’s shot across the bow to FIS is calling for a change in how the athletes are represented.
“Even when they [the athletes] say something, nobody listens to them because it’s an unpowerful position,” Hudec said. “There needs to be a body, whether it’s one person or a group of people that are relevant that know the sport, that know what the hell they are talking about, that can connect with the athletes, that can legally represent them and that have legal power to make some sort of, at least, decisions or negotiations for these important aspects.”
About the Author: Gordie Bowles
