Swiss course designer and two-time Olympic downhill medalist Bernhard Russi credits Marc Hodler with supplying some of his most memorable moments and most important lifetime decisions.
    Hodler, president of the International Ski Federation from 1951 to 1998 and International Olympic Committee member and reformist, died Wednesday following a stroke at his home in Bern, Switzerland.
    Russi, who earned an Olympic gold medal in downhill at the Sapporo Games in 1972 and followed up with silver in Innsbruck in 1976, said he felt very close with his countryman throughout both his racing and course-designing careers.
    Hodler and Russi’s father were friends, and Russi remembers the FIS president from his earliest days on the race hill.
    “He was often in my hometown, from the beginning, when I started ski racing,” Russi said. “As a ski racer, I felt him very close.”
    Hodler made many strides with the FIS, helping to launch the alpine World Cup and writing the rules for the Olympic Winter Games. He also was famous for his work with the IOC, mainly uncovering dishonest IOC procedures in the Olympic city bidding process. To Russi, however, Hodler was famous for his understanding of sports and the athletes involved. Russi remembers earning his gold medal in 1972, and said some of the governing officials at the time weren’t as interested in alpine skiing as they were in other sports and wanted to hold the medals ceremony at the relatively remote and unpopulated finish area for men’s bobsled. Hodler understood the magnitude of Russi’s accomplishment and chose a more suitable venue.
    “Marc understood very well the athletes,” Russi said. “I went to the bobsled finish area and Marc Hodler was there. I said, ‘This is one of the most important moments of my life. Is this the place to do it?’ He said, ‘No,’ and he arranged to have it in the hockey arena in front of 20,000 people. For me, he’s also the father of modern skiing.”
    Russi said Hodler always stayed on top of new technology and procedures that fostered change in the world of winter sports throughout his long career.
    “There were a lot of changes — TV came along, lots of new things came along. He always tried to keep up with all the movements, which is not normal or easy for a person in it for a very long time,” Russi said.
    Now long retired from ski racing, Russi’s gone on to become recognized and respected in the ski industry as a World Cup course architect. He said Hodler played a key role in his decision to take this path.
    “He’s a little bit responsible for me being a course architect,” Russi said. “During my [racing] career, very often I was talking with him, brainstorming [about] how the sport should develop. When I quit racing, he remembered that.”
    Hodler was in the process of selecting a course for the 1988 Olympic downhill in Calgary and  needed feedback on a couple of possibilities.
    “He called me up and said, ‘I have a problem in Calgary,’ ” Russi said. “He said, ‘Go there. Tell me exactly what you think.’ That’s how my career started as a course architect. I came back with a report saying the mountain has potential, that we have to change the line. The next question was how.”
    And Russi’s present career was born.
    He said the last time he saw Hodler was at the Torino Games in February, where they were both very busy. Russi said he is sad about the passing of his friend, but recognized the many strides Hodler made in his life as well as those of his friends, colleagues and sports world in general.
    “Sport was always more important than business for him,” Russi said. “He had a great, fulfilled life.”

SWISS COURSE DESIGNER and two-time Olympic downhill medalist Bernhard Russi credits Marc Hodler with supplying some of his most memorable moments and most important lifetime decisions.
    Hodler, president of the International Ski Federation from 1951 to 1998 and International Olympic Committee member and reformist, died Wednesday following a stroke at his home in Bern, Switzerland.
    Russi, who earned an Olympic gold medal in downhill at the Sapporo Games in 1972 and followed up with silver in Innsbruck in 1976, said he felt very close with his countryman throughout both his racing and course-designing careers.
    Hodler and Russi’s father were friends, and Russi remembers the FIS president from his earliest days on the race hill.
    “He was often in my hometown, from the beginning, when I started ski racing,” Russi said. “As a ski racer, I felt him very close.”
    Hodler made many strides with the FIS, helping to launch the alpine World Cup and writing the rules for the Olympic Winter Games. He also was famous for his work with the IOC, mainly uncovering dishonest IOC procedures in the Olympic city bidding process. To Russi, however, Hodler was famous for his understanding of sports and the athletes involved. Russi remembers earning his gold medal in 1972, and said some of the governing officials at the time weren’t as interested in alpine skiing as they were in other sports and wanted to hold the medals ceremony at the relatively remote and unpopulated finish area for men’s bobsled. Hodler understood the magnitude of Russi’s accomplishment and chose a more suitable venue.
    “Marc understood very well the athletes,” Russi said. “I went to the bobsled finish area and Marc Hodler was there. I said, ‘This is one of the most important moments of my life. Is this the place to do it?’ He said, ‘No,’ and he arranged to have it in the hockey arena in front of 20,000 people. For me, he’s also the father of modern skiing.”
    Russi said Hodler always stayed on top of new technology and procedures that fostered change in the world of winter sports throughout his long career.
    “There were a lot of changes — TV came along, lots of new things came along. He always tried to keep up with all the movements, which is not normal or easy for a person in it for a very long time,” Russi said.
    Now long retired from ski racing, Russi’s gone on to become recognized and respected in the ski industry as a World Cup course architect. He said Hodler played a key role in his decision to take this path.
    “He’s a little bit responsible for me being a course architect,” Russi said. “During my [racing] career, very often I was talking with him, brainstorming [about] how the sport should develop. When I quit racing, he remembered that.”
    Hodler was in the process of selecting a course for the 1988 Olympic downhill in Calgary and  needed feedback on a couple of possibilities.
    “He called me up and said, ‘I have a problem in Calgary,’ ” Russi said. “He said, ‘Go there. Tell me exactly what you think.’ That’s how my career started as a course architect. I came back with a report saying the mountain has potential, that we have to change the line. The next question was how.”
    And Russi’s present career was born.
    He said the last time he saw Hodler was at the
Torino Games in February, where they were both very busy. Russi said he is sad about the passing of his friend, but recognized the many strides Hodler made in his life as well as those of his friends, colleagues and sports world in general.
    “Sport was always more important than business for him,” Russi said. “He had a great, fulfilled life.”