After a long career as a sports manager and coach, Engadin Gian Gilli spent the last three summers as a shepherd on an alpine pasture. He welcomes the fact that the Engadin is interested in new major sporting events. For himself, he now focuses more on slowing down.
Sport is Gian Gilli's life: He was gymnastics and sports instructor, national cross-country trainer, head of delegation at the Olympic Games, organizer of world skiing and ice hockey championships and Olympic promoter. Born in Zuoz, he has now spent his third summer on Alp Timun in Val Laviruns. “I became a freelance shepherd and pensioner,” he says. On around 1000 hectares, suckler cows graze with their young animals. “We work in pairs and look after up to 300 animals.” The Val Laviruns is a side valley of Val Chamuera ob La Punt. “We move between 2,300 and 3,000 meters and only on foot.”
On the Alps, he learned to live simply: “Your legs replace your car, your muscle power replaces most machines, your ideas replace a trip to the hardware store.” He particularly enjoys the peace and seclusion, says Gian Gilli: “Sometimes I walk uphill for a whole hour early in the morning before I see the first of our animals. But in between, I meet deer, watch birds of prey or simply the incredibly beautiful nature.”
Get out of your comfort zone
Anyone who knows the restless Gian Gilli (67) from the past is amazed. “I've slowed down and even in winter I don't fall back into the old rhythms of life,” he says. Slowness wasn't his thing before. As a sports manager and as a coach of executives, he tuned everything and everyone for performance. “Performance is still important to me today,” he limits. “But regeneration is just as much a part of training as performance.”
In management as well as in competitive sports, regeneration is neglected. Retiring to an alpine pasture is the dream of many managers, says Gian Gilli: “But it is not easy to leave your familiar environment, professional status and a high income behind.” He himself did not know whether the experiment was going well. He finally dared to try it because it would take him out of his comfort zone. “The magical moments in life are outside the comfort zone.”
A litmus test for the IOC
The Olympic movement must also break out of its comfort zone, Gilli is convinced: “The IOC must become more involved and share the risks that arise when holding games.” A good 10 years ago, the IOC launched the “Agenda 2020”, which is intended to promote more sustainable games with a positive legacy. But the proof that the whole thing has a hand and a foot is still pending.
The 2026 Winter Games in Italy could be such proof, says Gilli. “Now the IOC must prove that development is heading in a healthy direction.” An important litmus test was the question of the bobsleigh and toboggan track. A new railway in Italy would have cost more than 100 million. The organizers hesitated for a very long time, but then, gnashing their teeth, announced in mid-October that there would be no new railway in Italy.
“A good decision,” says Gian Gilli. “It would be unsustainable to invest so much money and environmental impact in infrastructure that sport probably won't even need in the long term.” It is still unclear whether the Olympic bobsleigh, skeleton and toboggan races will take place in St. Moritz-Celerina or Innsbruck in February 2026. “St. Moritz would undoubtedly be able to hold the competitions and accommodation of the teams at Olympic level,” says Gilli.
Don't miss the connection
Another major event currently occupying Engadin is the new “FIS Games” 2028, which will bring together all disciplines of skiing and snowboarding in one place and hold their competitions. The concept is to hold two thirds of the competitions in the Upper Engadine. “A big box,” says Gian Gilli with respect. “Engadin would probably be the only place in Switzerland that could handle something like this.” However, it is important to ensure that the games leave a legacy. “The equipment and know-how for major events must be constantly maintained. Otherwise, we risk missing out.”
Gilli sees the tourist relevance of major events in a differentiated way: “It must be possible to strongly involve the fans. Otherwise, we won't get them to Engadin in large numbers.” On site, they must then be offered an experience that goes beyond attending the competition: “The live experience is extremely important. Our fans need to take home unique memories so they can come back again. We can improve even more here.”
Gian Gilli really likes the idea of combining the FIS Games with the Engadin Ski Marathon: “Major events are particularly relevant to tourism for the venues where the sport is also practised as a popular sport. That is another reason why I couldn't think of anything better than seeing the professionals and the popular runners running on the same track. Other sports are already doing this and are very successful with it!”
FIS Games 2028
For 16 days, medals are to be awarded in all disciplines of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and in the snow sports disciplines of the Paralympics. The FIS Games should be held exclusively on existing facilities and at locations that have current experience in holding World Championships.
The concept for FIS Games 2028 in Engadin includes competitions on Corviglia and Corvatsch (alpine, freestyle, snowboard, freeski and speed skiing), in Silvaplana-Surlej (cross-country skiing in combination with the Engadin ski marathon), Zuoz (Telemark), Scuol (alpine snowboard), Airolo (moguls, aerials) and in Berg and Kandersteg (ski jumping, Nordic combined). In addition to St. Moritz/Engadin, Lillehammer/Hafjell (Norway) are also applying.
No 2030 Winter Olympics in Switzerland
For the 2030 Winter Olympics, Switzerland has proposed a decentralized concept on existing sports facilities and presented a feasibility study. For the first time, the games were to take place in an entire country. However, the IOC only wants to deepen this concept with Switzerland for the 2038 edition. The 2030 games are to take place in France and the 2034 games in the USA.
This article by Christian Gartmann was first published on November 30, 2023 in Engadin Tourismus AG's biannual tourism newspaper “Giazetta das Turissem”.