FIS race director Markus Waldner held out the prospect of a new wildcard for Marcel Hirscher in an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF on Tuesday. The Dutch ski federation is working on another World Cup comeback for the 37-year-old from Salzburg, who races for the Netherlands. According to Waldner, the Dutch federation had submitted "various rule proposals".
"We will certainly give him approval"
In the interview, which was conducted in German, the South Tyrolean official said: "We will certainly give him approval. Because it is always a big boost to have a superstar like that in a race."
The German wording of the second sentence differs slightly between the versions published by ORF and by Salzburg24.
Council decision and a statement from Meissnitzer
According to Waldner, the FIS Council has to decide "definitively" which status Hirscher actually receives at its autumn meeting in Geneva, scheduled for 28 September to 3 October.
FIS director Alexandra Meissnitzer put it differently. The news site exxpress.at quotes her from an oe24 talk as saying: "Marcel has the wildcard, of course he is allowed to race."
Top 40 and injury status
One Dutch proposal would have Hirscher start after the top 40 instead of after the top 30. Waldner said an injury status could possibly be used, under which, in theory, Hirscher could race 17 more times.
Each race would require its own request. Hirscher has used only three of his 20 wildcard starts, but almost two years have passed since his last race.
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Hirscher switched from the Austrian to the Dutch federation for the 2024/25 season. Racing on a wildcard with bib numbers after the top 30, he competed in three races before a cruciate ligament tear stopped him. As a result, he missed the 2025 World Championships and the entire 2025/26 season.
As an Austrian athlete, the eight-time overall World Cup winner won two Olympic golds and one silver, plus seven world titles and four silver medals at World Championships.
The World Cup season is scheduled to open in Sölden on 25 October.
