Zöggeler, vice-president for technical affairs at the FIL, is a six-times world champion and is the only winter athlete to have won a medal at six editions of the Olympic Games.

His haul includes two golds in men's singles, from Salt Lake City 2002 and Turin 2006.

Zöggeler also won bronze at Lillehammer 1994, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, and silver at Nagano 1998.

He won the overall FIL World Cup title on 10 occasions. 

Day one of the Congress also saw Norway’s Bjørn Dyrdahl receive the FIL’s medal of honour in gold in recognition of his services.

Dyrdahl was the race director at Lillehammer 1994 and later worked in different functions for the FIL.

Former FIL secretary general Svein Romstad, meanwhile, was awarded the medal of honour in gold with diamonds.

FIL President Josef Fendt presented the medal.

Romstad was elected secretary general in 1994.

In close cooperation with Fendt, they developed the FIL into a modern organisation.

Romstad stepped down on his own demand at last year’s Congress in Slovakia's capital Bratislava.

Back then, he was appointed an honorary member of the FIL.

Latvia’s Einars Fogelis was elected Romstad’s successor.

The medal in silver has been awarded to Latvians Normunds Grava and Andris Svalbe, and the Swiss pair of Doris Schenkel and Edi Schärer.

Germany’s Norbert Loch was among those assigned the medal in bronze along with Swiss trio Reto Gilly, Heinz Kocher and Käthi Maag.

Slovenians Borut Fejfar, Viljem Rakovec and Stefan Zadravec also had the honour bestowed upon them along with Slovakians Rastislav Drajna, Ján Harniš, Walter Marx and Dušan Gerdelán.

The 67th FIL Congress, where the world governing body will elect its first vice-president for marketing, is due to conclude tomorrow.