June 05, 2014 (Barcelona, Spain) – After a brief welcome by FIS Development Programme Expert Josef Zenhäusern, former Swiss ski jumper Andreas Küttel presented the first results of his PHD study “After the sports career” in his keynote address. The study, which focuses on transitions in sport, reasons for athletic retirement, consequences of the transition out of elite sport, career programs for athletes, life after elite sport and its practical implications provided a great starting point for the following presentations which focused on the practical experiences of such transition.

Speakers at the 2014 Ladies Seminar © FIS

Presenters Gabriela Paruzzi, Chair of the Cross-Country Ladies Committee and World Cup Winner, Daniela Meuli Olympic Champion 2006 in PGS, Maria Jose Rienda Contreras, Spanish Alpine World Cup winner, Maroussa Pappou, Olympian in Snowboard and Alpine coach from Greece and Sylvana Mestre, Spanish Chair of the IPC Alpine Skiing Sport Technical Committee all provided valuable insights to the topic and shared personal experiences.

“I think, that former athletes have a great value in terms of experience. They can help many different aspects such as schools in the promotion of sport, work for television providing technical comments of their sports events and their involvement should be an obvious choice, but it does not always happen. I do it often, the last time I was a commentator for Sky in Sochi and I find such opportunities to be great,” Gabriella Paruzzi, Chair of the Cross-Country Ladies Committee and World Cup Winner, said during her presentation.

The last point of the agenda was a presentation by “KADA” Manager, Roswitha Stadlober on the Austrian Model “KADA – Sport mit Perspektive” (Sport with Perspective) focused on Consulting and Integration of women after their sports career and giving an example of a successful implementation of a well-functioning transition programme.

The Seminar concluded with reflections from Sarah Lewis, FIS Secretary General who thanked the presenters for their excellent and the full house of around 80 participants for the engagement in making the seminar such a success.