The 2027 Alpine World Ski Championships have lost their organising chief just months before the event. Claude-Alain Schmidhalter resigned on Wednesday as president of the Crans-Montana organising committee and also gave up his role as vice-president of Swiss-Ski. He stepped down after the public prosecutor in the canton of Valais charged him with fraud and criminal mismanagement. Schmidhalter denies the charges and is presumed innocent.
Suspension first, then resignation
Swiss-Ski moved first. The federation temporarily suspended Schmidhalter from both of his posts. Within hours, he made the suspension permanent by resigning. "I take note of the decision and respect it. I draw the consequences and resign with immediate effect as president of the organising committee," he said, according to Swiss media. He explained that the championships now needed clarity, and that a committee president who was sidelined for an indefinite period would damage a project he had worked on for years.
Swiss-Ski president Peter Barandun praised the decision. "That is a consistent stance," Barandun said. He called Schmidhalter a "strong personality" who had done exemplary work for years, and said the suspension was meant to protect the integrity of the organisation.
Charges unrelated to skiing
The case has nothing to do with the World Championships or the federation. It concerns Schmidhalter's business activities. Swiss outlets report that it centres on his engineering firm in Brig-Glis. He and an alleged accomplice are accused of defrauding a former business partner of more than 300,000 Swiss francs. The case will be heard at the Brig district court, reportedly on October 27.
Schmidhalter had been vice-president of Swiss-Ski since 2016. He took over the Crans-Montana 2027 presidency from Urs Lehmann, the long-serving Swiss-Ski president, who left to become chief executive of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). That makes Schmidhalter the second organising chief the championships have lost.
Alpine Skiing'Calendar is full': Aicher, Weidle-Winkelmann reject annual WorldsThe double role made Schmidhalter's position especially sensitive. As Swiss-Ski vice-president and Worlds chief, he was a key link between the national federation and the Valais hosts. His departure from both posts takes a central figure out of Swiss-Ski's leadership in the final stretch before a home championship. The federation justified the suspension as a step to protect the integrity of the organisation, while the presumption of innocence applies.
Interim leadership in place
Swiss-Ski has already named interim leaders. Sébastien Rey, vice-president of the association of Crans-Montana's municipalities, and Diego Züger, co-CEO of Swiss-Ski, will run the organising committee together. Their job is to keep preparations on track for the championships in the Valais resort, which are scheduled for February 2027.
The timing is awkward for Switzerland. The home Worlds were meant to be the highlight of a winter led by Marco Odermatt. Crans-Montana's bid had already attracted controversy when the championships were awarded. The World Cup season opens in Sölden at the end of October. A few days after that, the Brig court will hear the case against Schmidhalter. Whatever the verdict, he will no longer be leading the Crans-Montana championships.
