- As of the 2025/26 season, Azerbaijan will be the premium partner of all FIS World Championships, as well as a title partner of the FIS World Cup in Moguls, Aerials, Ski Cross, and Snowboard Cross, and a presenting partner in Nordic Combined.
- Strategic partnership focuses on promoting and developing the country’s status as a world-class destination for snow sports, from recreational to elite.
May 06, 2025 - The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the Azerbaijan’s State Tourism Agency have agreed to a landmark partnership that positions the country as snow sports’ Global Destination Partner.
The partnership marks the first time that FIS appoints a Global Partner, with presence across the entire range of snow sports disciplines and a collaboration that reaches far beyond simply sponsoring events.
As of the 2025/26 season and until the completion of 2029/30 season, Azerbaijan will be a premium partner of the FIS World Championships across all disciplines. The agreement also positions the country as a title partner of the FIS World Cup in Moguls, Aerials, Ski Cross, and Snowboard Cross, as well as presenting partner in Nordic Combined.
Above and beyond marketing rights, the core element of the strategic partnership is to promote and develop Azerbaijan’s status as a world-class winter sports destination.
The country is home to several ski resorts, including the Shahdag Mountain Resort, a paradise for skiers and snowboarders, at more than 2300m above sea level and with slopes homologated by FIS.
“Azerbaijan is a country brimming with tourism opportunities, and over the course of the last few years we have built cutting-edge infrastructure and have gained extensive experience in organizing global events. While many may not know, this is also true for winter tourism. We are inviting the world to take another look and discover our country as a wonderful place of stunning mountain ranges and snow. The Azerbaijan Tourism Board will take the lead in implementing this partnership to ensure its full impact is realized,” says Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Fuad Naghiyev.
FIS President Johan Eliasch highlights the extent to which the agreement is far broader than a regular sponsorship deal: “The partnership with Azerbaijan ticks all the boxes; it brings value to the entire range of our disciplines, to further the development of snow sports across all levels – from recreational to elite – and takes us into a new exciting growth market.”
