Bernhard Russi about the Zermatt Pistenzoff and the Olympic Games in Switzerland: “Sustainability instead of gigantism!”

Ski legend Bernhard Rusi (75) knows the trade like no other; Until 2022 he was the most important track builder of the world association FIS. In an interview with SonntagsBlick, he criticizes the female drivers – and says what he thinks is needed for the Olympic Games in Switzerland.

SonntagsBlick: Switzerland is arguing over excavators working on the glacier for the Zermatt Ski World Cup. Given global warming in Switzerland, do you still see a future for winter sports?
Bernard Russi: Yes – I see a future. First of all, I have experienced every situation in my life as an athlete: too much snow, too little snow, no snow…

…so everything is the same?
I want to emphasize that I have no doubts about global warming. This is recorded statistically. I think it’s our job to do better what we didn’t do well in the past. But I want to ask a counter question to your question: how much entertainment can people afford themselves?

What is your answer?
By entertainment I mean from open air to ice hockey or football championships, but also tourism. Swiss tourism often takes place in the mountains, where there is nothing else. I see this specifically in Andermatt: we need tourism and tourism automatically means snow sports. Not only skiing, but also snow sports.

Now there are photos of excavators on a glacier near Zermatt. The signal: we plan a descent into nature. According to critics, the work is also taking place outside the agreed perimeter, which the organizers dispute.
An excavator on a glacier, that doesn’t sound good. But this excavator did nothing more than move ice from one side to the other, probably to fill a crevasse to control the hazards. If you want to secure a fall area, the excavator may also be located outside the perimeter. That’s just not legal. The problem could be solved there by conventional means such as B-networks.

However, the images have a negative effect on many people.
There are rules and zoning regulations that must be strictly adhered to. There are no ifs and buts about this. Okay, President Franz Julen is a very down-to-earth, serious and honest person in charge. I am not one of the organizers of the Football World Cup and I am not on site, but I know from experience: if a line is drawn on a zone plan at a certain scale, it can be very difficult if, for example, you go from a scale of 1 to 25,000 is switched to a scale of 1 to 1000. A line that was actually in the right place at 1 to 25,000 can suddenly be shifted slightly on a larger scale or on the spot.

The World Ski Championships start in November. Stars like Lara Gut-Berahmi and Mikaela Shiffrin are publicly criticizing this and demanding that these events be postponed.
The start has already been postponed for two weeks. And one more thing: the riders, that is, the athletes, have the greatest power in the international ski world. They are included in each committee, together with athlete representatives, including voting rights. They can respond to anything, they can propose anything.

Should the professionals have been involved in advance?
If only two or three people lean out of the window and don’t discuss this with the others, nothing happens. That is why Gut-Berahmi, Schiffrin or Gysin should come when planning the cup calendar and not in mid-October. The other option would be to be consistent and then stay away from the races.

A skier would then lose important World Cup points.
Then you can ask yourself: what is more important? One hundred points or your concern about the environment?

The debate about Zermatt also highlights the Swiss candidacy for the 2030 Olympic Games. Should the initiators go even greener?
No, I take the environmental concerns of the initiators seriously. I think it’s great that they want to expose themselves and dare to run for office, I support that – but for me there is still a requirement.

Which?
So far I have not seen any evidence that the IOC is emphasizing the word sustainability. By sustainability I mean not only listening to the international associations on which the IOC repeatedly relies, but also being bound by visions. That would mean that you could skate without an indoor facility. Or that a discipline simply cannot take place if the weather conditions do not permit it. Because of this the world will not end. That’s what I mean by sustainable. I also expect the IOC to take into account the fact that everything is smaller in Switzerland.

Want Swiss-style games?
The IOC could reduce the size of the Games. For example, by reducing the maximum number of participants. For example, if you only get 8,000 athletes instead of about 10,000. Or instead of 10,000 journalists, only 8,000 journalists can be flown in. Switzerland needs tailor-made games. For me that also means: Back to reason. In the past, the Olympic Games have added more and more disciplines, with more and more athletes and more and more journalists. This needs to be adjusted.

Are there specific disciplines you can start with?
I imagine that alpine racing will also be downsized. Do you need the combination? Or should it be replaced by another format? Sprint disciplines suddenly appeared in the Scandinavian disciplines. Soon you will have multiple disciplines for each length. Or take ski jumping: why do we need two ski jumps? This is the same as if we were doing two descents: one that lasts a minute and one that lasts 1:40. That’s what I mean: sustainability instead of gigantism.