Skier Mikayelyan challenges FIS sponsorship by Azerbaijan
The Armenian athlete faced a financial penalty after concealing ‘a mandatory rival’ logo during a major international competition. This act of protest sparked a wider debate regarding the ethics of sponsorship in the skiing community.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation has officially fined an Armenian cross-country skier for covering the word ‘Azerbaijan’ on his bib – a mandatory requirement following a five-year ‘Global Destination Partner’ agreement.
The incident happened in Toblach, Italy on 29 December, 2025 during the Tour de Ski event. Mikayel Mikayelyan explained that he discovered the branding only two hours before the race on New Year’s Eve. He stated that he could not, in good conscience, promote a state that has shown open hostility toward his homeland. “They can put it everywhere, but not on me,” Mikayelyan told Norwegian TV 2. Despite the 100 Swiss franc fine, he refused to promise the FIS jury that he would not repeat the act in future races.
Mikayelyan is Armenia’s leading skier and a veteran of the international stage. Mikayelyan carried the Armenian flag at both the PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. His pedigree extends to the 2023 Winter Universiade, where he secured an impressive fourth-place finish, narrowly missing out on a medal.
Hailing from a family of skiers – his brother Sergey and mother Alla are also Olympians – Mikayelyan has been the backbone of the national team for nearly a decade. Having already secured his ranking quotas, he is currently preparing to represent Armenia for a third time at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
To an outside observer, a sponsor logo may seem trivial, but for an Armenian athlete, the word “Azerbaijan” carries the weight of an existential struggle. The two nations have been locked in a bitter territorial dispute over the ethnic Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The conflict reached a modern breaking point during the 44-day war in 2020, resulting in thousands of casualties. Most recently, in September 2023, a military offensive led to the total collapse of the local Armenian government in the region and the mass exodus of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians.
The presence of a nation’s name as a primary sponsor left many elite athletes bewildered. World champion Astrid Øyre Slind (Norway) told Expressen that the agreement was ‘ethically questionable,’ expressing concern that athletes are being forced to act as billboards for controversial regimes.
The Swedish national team head coach Anders Byström noted that while there are many ‘controversial issues’ surrounding the deal, teams felt powerless to influence the situation once the competition had begun.
World champion, Tour de Ski winner Harald Østberg Amundsen (Norway) expressed surprise at the sponsor, noting that it felt ‘unusual’ and ‘special’ for a nation to take such a prominent role in the sport.
Olympic champion, Erik Valnes (Norway) questioned the logic behind the branding, calling the situation ‘special.’
“We noticed that suddenly there is a country standing here and sponsoring. If it had said ‘Norway’ or ‘Sweden,’ it would have been very special. It is not exactly a great signal,” Valnes told NRK.
The conflict surrounding the deal actually dates back to May 2025, when the FIS first announced the partnership with the Azerbaijani Tourism Board. Tove Moe Dyrhaug, president of the Norwegian Ski Federation, revealed that the deal – reportedly the largest in FIS history – was signed without the knowledge of the FIS Council. Dyrhaug stated that the partner is ‘not right for the sport’ and criticized the total lack of transparency from FIS leadership.
Frank Conde Tangberg, a political advisor for Amnesty International Norway, described the deal to NRK as a “textbook example of sportswashing.” He argued that the FIS is being used to normalize a regime that aggressively suppresses human rights and currently holds over 30 journalists in prison.
Following these events, the FIS issued a formal statement defending the partnership as a ‘major strategic step.’ The federation stated that the partnership is ‘centered on the purpose of developing a snow sports destination in a region of the world that is brimming with potential.’ Regarding the sanction against Mikayelyan, the FIS maintained that on 31 December 2025, he was fined CHF 100 for violating Article 314.7.1, which mandates that “bibs must be fully readable from the back and the front.”
A similar answer FIS gave to Inside The Games’ request.
“Not only does this partnership bring value and growth to our entire range of disciplines ─ including many that hadn’t had a title partner in years ─ but it is also centered on the purpose of developing a snow sports destination in a region of the world that is brimming with potential. Azerbaijan invests heavily in winter sports infrastructure and in fostering the growth of the FIS disciplines across the entire region. This is what the partnership is about,: read the statement.
The FIS statement focused entirely on commercial growth and regulatory consistency while ignoring the human element of the conflict. When explicitly asked whether the federation considers the mental state of an athlete who may have lost friends or relatives in a war involving a sponsor nation, the FIS provided no answer. The governing body chose to remain silent on whether they account for the trauma and national dignity of competitors in such political contexts.
The incident drew a cautious response from the Armenian government. During a press conference on 7 January, Zhanna Andreasyan, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, emphasized that ‘sport should be about sport’ and that rules of fair play must be followed by all sides. The Ministry subsequently sent a formal inquiry to the Armenian Ski Federation to determine the size of the fine and whether Mikayelyan faced potential disqualification.
Federation President Gagik Sargsyan responded to the Ministry’s demand for an ‘explanation’ by publishing both the inquiry and his reply on social media. In a pointed letter dated 8 January, Sargsyan wrote, “Mikayelyan’s move is more than clear, and we believe it requires no clarification.”
A formal request for information was made by Inside The Games to the Armenian Ministry regarding the psychological welfare of athletes .Information inquiry was requested through Freedom of Information Centre Armenia (foi.am), a non-profit that supports media activities in the country for years.
The inquiry specifically asked whether a final decision or formal guideline on such conduct had been established as a precedent; if any internal regulations account for the personal or family trauma of athletes (e.g., related to the 2020 44-day war) during international competition; and if Mikayelyan’s specific psychological state became a subject of assessment.
However, Ministry’s response revealed a deliberate administrative distancing. Although Minister Andreasyan initially suggested that a ‘conclusion’ would follow the Federation’s answer, no such conclusion was ever released. By categorising the athlete’s mental welfare and national stance as purely ‘federation business,’ the Ministry avoided taking a political side.
The Ministry, through Deputy Minister Hasmik Avagyan, declined to establish a specific governmental precedent or guideline for such cases. In her response, Avagyan stated, “All work with athletes participating in international tournaments, including their selection, psychological preparation, and consideration of certain circumstances as necessary, as well as maintaining tournament regulations, is carried out by the sports federations.”
In the end the Ministry claimed to remain committed to protecting the rights of athletes competing under the Armenian flag.
This official detachment led to a dramatic climax. On 20 January 2026, Gagik Sargsyan officially announced his resignation as President of the Armenian Ski Federation after 21 years of service. In an interview with News.am, Sargsyan expressed that the ideological gap between the federation and the government had become unbridgeable.
“I simply realised that there is a very large difference in approaches, views, and perceptions… The demand for an explanation regarding Mikayel’s move crossed all boundaries,” Sargsyan stated.
His resignation leaves the future of Armenian skiing uncertain just weeks before the Milano Cortina 2026 games, where Mikayelyan is expected to once again lead the small Armenian delegation.
