Ruth Metzler-Arnold is active: five construction sites are waiting for the former federal councilor as Swiss Olympic boss

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Although Swiss Athletics is one of the most important sports associations, athletics is missing from the Swiss Olympic board of directors. That could now change significantly: Swiss Athletics is the first association to officially propose a candidate for the board of directors, open from 2025, with former federal councilor Ruth Metzler-Arnold (59). Former Swiss Olympic boss Jürg Stahl (56) will step down at the end of 2024.

Athletics President Christoph Seiler told Blick about the transfer of the former CVP federal councilor: “Our goal at Swiss-Athletics is to once again fill a seat on the Executive Council.” The idea emerged last summer during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

The idea quickly took shape

«Ruth Metzler-Arnold was in town on business and we met at the Swiss Athletics reception in the Swiss Embassy. That’s when the first contacts were made – and she revealed to us that she was adding days off to her business trip to cheer on Simon Ehammer at the stadium. She has a great passion for this sport.”

Also because Sports Minister Viola Amherd wants more women in sports and therefore insists that the first woman in this position succeed Stahl, Metzler-Arnold is suddenly in pole position. It should also lead to a new starting point for possible candidates such as Swiss ski boss Urs Lehmann (54) and ex-FC Basel chairman Bernhard Heusler (60) as to whether they want to be officially founded at all.

It’s not just about the Olympics

What does the task entail? The Swiss Olympic Presidency is much more than a salute to sport in Switzerland. On paper it is a fairly bureaucratic workload of 50 percent, for which 90,000 francs are paid. The President, or possibly soon the President, heads the eight-member Executive Council, implements the decisions of the Sports Parliament, maintains communications with the Federal Office for Sport, attends IOC Congresses – and only then a whole range of representative tasks. With a huge offering: from the Youth Olympic Games in South Korea to events in Switzerland from the 83 affiliated associations, which cover the entire range from Tchoukball to the Ski Association.

It is clear to insiders that Stahl’s current clockwork is well above 50 percent, and that this is unlikely to change if Metzler-Arnold is elected. If the elections are successful, these five construction sites await them:

Success costs. Obtaining sufficient millions from public sector and private sponsors to ensure international success in the future is at the top of the priority list.

Under Stahl, the 2030 Winter Games were the target, now the IOC will talk to Switzerland about 2038. Will Metzler-Arnold be able to resolve the many question marks? A huge task.

A feasibility study is currently being conducted to hold these mini-Olympics for summer sports in Switzerland. It goes without saying that Metzler-Arnold enjoys a lot of goodwill as an athletics representative for this major event.

The new ethics reporting center for doping fighters is hopelessly overloaded. There is an urgent need for action.

The example of Swiss athletics with Kambundji and Co. as figureheads should become universal in Swiss sport. The latest example of the Federal Council, which wants to spend a ridiculous 4 million for the 2025 European Women’s Football Championship, shows how much there is still to do.

But it will be at least the end of this year before Metzler-Arnold can tackle these construction sites. The election will take place on November 22 in the Sports Parliament – ​​and it is still unclear whether more candidates can be nominated.

Source : Blick