Despite being currently ruled out of action, Mikaela Shiffrin is standing for what she feels is right. The skier was part of a group of high-profile snowboarders who sent a letter to the FIS to reconsider CVC’s $420 million investment offer after FIS rebuffed CVC by sending a letter saying FIS was “very well capitalized and has no current need for further funding to help deliver its strategic plans.” In response, Mikaela Shiffrin and other skiers like Marco Odermatt, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and Sofia Goggia sent a letter to the FIS asking them to “reconsider your position on CVC’s proposal and to engage promptly in a constructive dialogue with them.”

Now, the skier has uploaded another letter, which acts somewhat like an extension of the previous one in her Instagram story. In the letter, the athletes say, “On Monday, 9th December, several leading Alpine athletes participated in a call with representatives from CVC to learn about their intentions and vision concerning a potential €400 million investment in FIS. The discussion was constructive, transparent, and thoughtfully presented. While we acknowledge that further due diligence, strategic exploration, and planning are required, it is evident that CVC’s “Project Snow” is driven by a sincere commitment to the growth and evolution of our sport.”

While the athletes did acknowledge that other offers are on the table, they wanted more information on it. In fact, according to the letter, the details of other contract deals still remain very unclear to them. This is unlike CVC, who have kept forward their plans to them in a decent manner, making them understand what they’re trying to do. This is why most of them are backing the company. “We firmly believe that the strategic expertise and resources of a reputable investor, such as CVC, can propel FIS and the sport to realize its untapped potential, far exceeding its current standing.” Thus, the athletes have now urged the federation to talk with CVC about their offer in a meaningful manner, hoping to bring it to a conclusion.

Mikaela Shiffrin also uploaded another story after that, saying, “We don’t pretend to know everything. We are simply asking for more transparency and better consideration of our voices and the offers on the table that impact the future of our sport.” This is also because CVC’s plans for skiing had looked quite ambitious. The company, which has previously invested in Formula 1, soccer, and tennis, now wanted to foray into skiing. They had named their program “Project Snow” and were vowing to invest $420 million into the sport. In exchange, the company wanted 20% of the shareholding rights in all the events, including cross-country and Alpine skiing. Thus, athletes are trying very hard for FIS to change their decision.

Looking at such ambition, Mikaela Shiffrin and other athletes were heavily disgruntled to learn that FIS had rejected the offer. This is why they decided to send the letter last Friday, December 6th. “We disagree that many of the tasks outlined in the CVC proposal have been completed as part of the FIS global strategy,” they wrote in the letter.

“While there have been improvements in the digital area, there has been a notable lack of progress in most commercial, marketing, and product development areas that are critical to growing our sports. This includes growing prize money and other improvements for athletes, which we know is becoming more of an issue for them, especially for certain disciplines.” Thus, the athletes seemed determined to make the FIS accept their offer. In fact, they even accused the federation of rejecting the offer for their benefit.

Mikaela Shiffrin and co. accuse FIS of rejecting CVC because of personal interests

While FIS, which has never been the one to shy away from controversy, has claimed that they rejected CVC’s offer because they already have enough capital, athletes like Mikaela Shiffrin have made the slight suggestion that the Federation has personal interests in it. This is because they do not want to let go of a different deal. FIS is vying to bring ‘Infront Sports and Media’ as it’s media rights partner in hopes of a centralization in broadcast rights.

This deal might get hampered if CVC comes in the way. The athletes have realized this and acknowledged it in their letter. “We would request that there is a pause in fully finalizing the Infront agreement until there is a proper discussion with CVC (and others as appropriate),” they said in the letter. “We would then expect that the options, plus pros and cons of each, are then thoroughly discussed with the Council before a final decision on how best to move forward is made.”

While they said that they aren’t against centralization, they would like more open dialogue about it before the deal is finalized. However, the FIS insisted that the CVC offer has nothing to do with the Infront Sports one. They said that the offer was a joint venture where CVC would come on board and manage all commercial rights. However, as the Skiing Federation doesn’t require capital right now, they rejected it. Thus, it seems that Mikaela Shiffrin and other skiers and the federation have reached a roadblock in negotiations. Hopefully, they can get over this and sort out what’s best for the sport.