See the Forest for the Trees - An Eye on FIS

Like so many organizations, FIS, the governing body for international skiing, is a slow-to-change entity. Doping reforms, for example, have evolved but at a yawn-worthy rate. So in rather atypical fashion, like a finger snap, FIS voted to oust its Secretary General, Sarah Lewis, on October 9th. Lewis had been considered a lifer at FIS. She'd been on staff for two decades. News on the "why" of her removal remains sparse. Yet it was an unexpected departure. Not so unexpected, the postponement of the FIS fluoro ban which was announced in November 2019. Originally, FIS and the associated stakeholders were to outlaw fluorinated wax products, across all disciplines, beginning this season. A noble task considering the documented adverse health and environmental impacts related to long-chain fluorocarbons, yet one notably tough to execute. Put simply, the testing mechanism for detecting flours on ski bases was flawed. As we reported earlier, FIS stated: “Despite the accuracy of the device measurement technology, testing also indicated that there were potential sources of measurement error related to other aspects of the testing system that require further testing and design adjustments to ensure absolutely fair and consistent results for all competitors.”So...fluoros are fair game this season on the World Cup. That and a bit more on the show. Thanks for listening and if you have questions for Devon, you can email them to [email protected] or [email protected].