Winter sport will have to react to a football World Cup played in November and December in Qatar in 2022, but there could be positive effects, International Ski Federation (FIS) president Gian Franco Kasper said Sunday.
"It could help things spectator-wise - football fans will then be watching skiing," Kasper said in Meribel, France on the last day of the alpine ski World Cup season.
However the ski federation will have to react because winter sports events in alpine ski, Nordic ski and biathlon cannot be held at the same time as World Cup matches, Kasper said.
A World Cup at the end of the year in 2022 is not a good thing in principle but the least worse option, Kasper said.
"Whatever we think does not matter; they do what they want," he said. "On the other hand we can to some extent live with it. January/February would have been worse," he said.
"We now have to wait to see how the matches are scheduled and then, of course, we have to adjust our events accordingly."
Football world governing body FIFA on Thursday set December 18 as date for the 2022 World Cup final but has not yet scheduled full dates for the tournament.
