Claude-Alain Schmidhalter has stepped down as head of the organising committee for the 2027 world championships in Crans-Montana and as a Swiss Ski vice-president. He had been temporarily suspended after being charged in a fraud case unrelated to sport.
Valais prosecutors have sent Schmidhalter’s case to trial, with a hearing scheduled for October 27. Keystone-SDA reported that the charges concern a payment to a former business partner after he left an engineering firm. Prosecutors allege that company profits were reduced by transferring money to another company, causing the former partner losses of more than 300,000 Swiss francs.
Schmidhalter denies the allegations. Swiss Ski said the case concerns his business activities, not his work for the federation or the organising committee. He was initially asked to step aside temporarily while the case proceeds. He later announced his resignation, saying the world championships needed clarity. The presumption of innocence applies.
Schmidhalter led the organising committee for the Alpine Ski World Championships in Crans-Montana and served as a Swiss Ski vice-president. The event is scheduled for February 1-14, 2027, about four months from now.
The leadership change follows a fire in Crans-Montana that killed 41 people and injured 115. Organisers have not yet detailed how responsibilities for preparing the championships will be reassigned.