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Global Association of International Sports Federations

Abbreviation	GAISF
Formation	1967; 51 years ago (1967)
Type	Sports organization
Headquarters	Lausanne, Switzerland
Membership	92 full members and 17 associate members.
Official language	English, French
President	Vacant
Website	GAIFS

Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF; previously SportAccord) is the umbrella organisation for all (Olympic and non-Olympic) international sports federations as well as organisers of multi-sports games and sport-related international associations.^[1][2] GAISF is an international sport organisation with 92 full members (international sports federations governing specific sports worldwide) and 17 associate members (organisations which conduct activities closely related to the international sports federations).^[2]

GAISF Council

The council is composed of a president, two vice-presidents, a treasurer and five members.

Designation	Name	Country	Sport Federation
President	Vacant		International Basketball Federation
Vice-President	Dr. Raffaele Chiulli	Italy	World Federation of Powerboating
	Mr. Stephan Fox	Germany/ Australia	International Federation of Muaythai Amateur
Treasurer	Mrs. Marisol Casado	Spain	International Triathlon Union
Council Members	Mr. Gian-Franco Kasper	Switzerland	International Ski Federation
	Mr. Riccardo Fraccari	Italy	World Baseball Softball Confederation
	Ms. Kate Caithness	Scotland/ United Kingdom	World Curling Federation
	Mr. Nenad Lalović	Serbia	United World Wrestling
	Mr. José Perurena López	Spain	International Canoe Federation

Mission and values

GAISF is the umbrella organisation for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations, as well as organisers of international sporting events. In this role it provides expertise in, for example, anti-doping, integrity and social responsibility.^[2]

By establishing multi-sports games that group together similar sports, GAISF aims to promote the members and the members' visibility.^[2]

Definition of sport

GAISF has developed a definition of sport to determine whether an applicant federation qualifies as an international sports federation.

GAISF's definition of sport is the following definition:^[3]

• The sport proposed should include an element of competition.


• The sport should not rely on any element of “luck” specifically integrated into the sport.


• The sport should not be judged to pose an undue risk to the health and safety of its athletes or participants.


• The sport proposed should in no way be harmful to any living creature.


• The sport should not rely on equipment that is provided by a single supplier.

GAISF uses five categories for its member federations' sports, many of which fall into more than one category:

• Primarily physical (e.g. Rugby union or athletics)


• Primarily mind (e.g. chess or go)


• Primarily motorised (e.g. Formula One or powerboating)


• Primarily coordination (e.g. billiards)


• Primarily animal-supported (e.g. equestrianism)

Membership

Member international federations can be either full or associate members of GAISF.^[4]

History

GAISF is deeply rooted in the sports movement. As early as 1921, international sports federations (IFs) expressed the need for a representative of their common objectives and interests. Under the direction of Paul Rousseau, Secretary General of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), a permanent bureau of the IFs was established to facilitate dialogue with the Olympic authorities.^{[citation needed]}

In 1967, 26 international sports federations met in Lausanne, agreed on the need to increase permanent liaisons, and adopted the name, “General Assembly of International Sports Federations”. In order to establish a more formalised organisation, the “General Association of International Sports Federations" (GAISF) was formed in 1976, and the headquarters were moved to Monaco two years later.

The new millennium brought important changes to the organisation. Reacting to the increasing pressure on IFs to professionalise and develop, GAISF, in collaboration with the Associations of Summer and Winter Olympic International Federations (ASOIF and AIOWF), launched the first SportAccord International Convention in 2003. This new format “by sport for sport” allowed IFs and sports business to get together, share knowledge and network.

In March 2009, GAISF was rebranded SportAccord and, in the same year, its offices moved from Monaco to Lausanne, the Olympic capital. SportAccord adopted the motto "Unite & Support" with the aim to serve and promote its members. Its ambition is to provide high-quality services and expertise in areas that are of most importance to its members.

In April 2017, following the former president Marius Vizer's controversial attack against IOC president Thomas Bach during the opening SportAccord's 2015 convention in Sochi and his subsequent resignation, the organization rebranded back to GAISF under its new president Patrick Baumann.^[5]

1920s

As early as 1921, under the direction of Paul Rousseau, Secretary General of the “Union Cycliste Internationale”, a permanent bureau of the international sports federations (IFs) was created. With regular IFs/IOC meetings taking place, dialogue with the Olympic authorities became easier. However, organisations that were not part of the Olympic movement were excluded.

1960s

In the 1960s, the sports movement evolved rapidly. Roger Coulon, President of the “Fédération Internationale de Lutte Amateur”, was the first to express the need for a wider recognition of the role of IFs. For non-Olympic federations, a forum that would enable them to better express their points of view was necessary. The creation of a stable organisation ensuring permanent relations between IFs appeared to be the logical continuation of their meetings, which had taken place frequently but without rules or a fixed organisation. The common preparation of these meetings with the IOC could thus be better supported. It also permitted a constant liaison between the IFs and the general population. In 1966, the time seemed appropriate, and the conversion to the newly constituted Assembly was launched.

1967

On 21–23 April 1967, delegates from the following 26 international sports federations met in Lausanne in the Hotel Continental: Aeronautics, Rowing, Basketball, Bobsleigh, Boules, Canoeing, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Judo, Luge, Wrestling, Motorcycling, Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Roller Skating, Skiing, Shooting, Volleyball, Weightlifting, University Sport, and Maccabi.

The delegates agreed on the necessity to establish permanent liaisons between the IFs for the defence of their objectives and common goals, the preservation of their autonomy, and constant exchange of information. The name “General Assembly of International Sports Federations” was adopted.

In 1976, this name was replaced by “General Association of International Sports Federations” (GAISF). In 1978, the office moved from Lausanne to Monaco. GAISF represented the extension of the past meetings of the IFs, dealing not only with Olympic matters, but also with all questions of common interest for the IFs.

2000s

In 2003, in collaboration with ASOIF and AIOWF, GAISF launched the first SportAccord Convention to answer a need of the IFs, which were looking for a “one-stop shop” where they could hold their annual meetings, be encouraged to network and share their knowledge.

In March 2009, GAISF was rebranded SportAccord at the meeting of the 7th SportAccord International Convention in Denver. In April 2009, it moved its main office from Monaco to Maison du Sport International in Lausanne, Switzerland.^[6]

On May 25, 2012, the last of eight days of the annual General Assembly of SportAccord in Quebec City, the Federation of International Lacrosse and the International Mind Sports Association were accepted, bringing the number of SportAccord members to 107.^[7]

On May 31, 2013, the last of eight days of the annual General Assembly of SportAccord in Saint Petersburg, the International Cheer Union and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile were voted into SportAccord.^[8]

On April 20, 2015, at SportAccord's 2015 convention in Sochi, SportAccord president Marius Vizer made a speech that was sharply critical of the IOC and its president, Thomas Bach. Following the speech, the IAAF, the ISSF, and World Archery withdrew from SportAccord in protest,^[9] and there were a number of further withdrawals in May 2015, including the International Rowing Federation.^[10]

At the 2017 convention in Aarhus, Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) and Federation of International Bandy (FIB) became full members^[11] and Sportaccord was renamed GAISF.

Member federations

#	Sport	Logo	Organisation	Acronym	Founded	Membership
						IOC	ASOIF	AIOWF	ARISF	IWGA
1	Aikido		International Aikido Federation	IAF	1976					•
2	Air sports		Fédération Aéronautique Internationale	FAI	1905	•			•	•
3	American football		International Federation of American Football	IFAF	1998	•			•
4	Aquatics		Federation Internationale de Natation	FINA	1908	•	•
5	Archery[12]		World Archery Federation	WA	1931	•	•			•
6	Athletics[12]		International Association of Athletics Federations	IAAF	1912	•	•
7	Automobile racing		Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile	FIA	1904	•			•
8	Badminton		Badminton World Federation	BWF	1934	•	•
9	Bandy		Federation of International Bandy	FIB	1955	•			•
10	Baseball and softball		World Baseball Softball Confederation	WBSC	2013	•			•	•
11	Basketball		Federation Internationale de Basketball	FIBA	1932	•	•
12	Basque pelota		Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca	FIPV	1929	•			•
13	Biathlon		International Biathlon Union	IBU	1993	•		•
14	Billiard sports		World Confederation of Billiards Sports	WCBS	1992	•			•	•
15	Bobsleigh		International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation	IBSF	1923	•		•
16	Bodybuilding		International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness	IFBB	1946					•
17	Boules		Confédération Mondiale des Sports de Boules	CMSB	1985	•			•	•
18	Bowling		World Bowling	WB	1952	•			•	•
19	Boxing		International Boxing Association	AIBA	1946	•	•
20	Bridge		World Bridge Federation	WBF	1958	•			•
21	Canoeing		International Canoe Federation	ICF	1946	•	•			•
22	Casting		International Casting Sport Federation	ICSF	1955					•
23	Cheer		International Cheer Union	ICU	2004	•			•
24	Chess		Fédération Internationale des Échecs	FIDE	1924	•			•
25	Climbing & Mountaineering		Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme	UIAA	1932	•			•
26	Cricket		International Cricket Council	ICC	1909	•			•
27	Curling		World Curling Federation	WCF	1966	•		•
28	Cycling		Union Cycliste Internationale	UCI	1900	•	•
29	DanceSport		World DanceSport Federation	WDSF	1957	•			•	•
30	Darts		World Darts Federation	WDF	1974
31	Dragon Boat		International Dragon Boat Federation	IDBF	1991
32	Draughts		Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames	FMJD	1947
33	Equestrian sports		Fédération Équestre Internationale	FEI	1921	•	•
34	Fencing		Fédération Internationale d'Escrime	FIE	1913	•	•
35	Fistball		International Fistball Association	IFA	1960					•
36	Floorball		International Floorball Federation	IFF	1986	•			•	•
37	Flying disc		World Flying Disc Federation	WFDF	1985	•			•	•
38	Football		Fédération Internationale de Football Association	FIFA	1904	•	•
39	Go		International Go Federation	IGF	1982
40	Golf		International Golf Federation	IGF	1958	•	•
41	Gymnastics		Federation Internationale de Gymnastique	FIG	1881	•	•			•
42	Handball		International Handball Federation	IHF	1946	•	•			•
43	Field hockey		International Hockey Federation	FIH	1924	•	•			•
44	Ice hockey		International Ice Hockey Federation	IIHF	1908	•		•
45	Ice stock sport		International Federation Icestocksport	IFI	1975
46	Judo		International Judo Federation	IJF	1951	•	•
47	Ju-Jitsu		Ju-Jitsu International Federation	JJIF	1977					•
48	Karate		World Karate Federation	WKF	1970	•			•	•
49	Kendo		International Kendo Federation	FIK	1970
50	Kickboxing		World Association of Kickboxing Organizations	WAKO	1976					•
51	Korfball		International Korfball Federation	IKF	1963	•			•	•
52	Lacrosse		Federation of International Lacrosse	FIL	2008					•
53	Lifesaving		International Life Saving Federation	ILS	1993	•			•	•
54	Luge		Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course	FIL	1957	•		•
55	Minigolf		World Minigolf Sport Federation	WMF	1963
56	Modern pentathlon		Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne	UIPM	1912	•	•
57	Motorcycle racing		Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme	FIM	1904	•			•
58	Muaythai		International Federation of Muaythai Amateur	IFMA	1993	•			•	•
59	Netball		International Federation of Netball Associations	IFNA	1960	•			•	•
60	Orienteering		International Orienteering Federation	IOF	1961	•			•	•
61	Polo		Federation of International Polo	FIP	1983	•			•
62	Powerboating		Union Internationale Motonautique	UIM	1927	•			•
63	Powerlifting		International Powerlifting Federation	IPF	1971					•
64	Racquetball		International Racquetball Federation	IRF	1950	•			•	•
65	Roller sports		Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports	FIRS	1924	•			•	•
66	Rowing		Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron	FISA	1892	•	•
67	Rugby union		World Rugby	WR	1886	•	•			•
68	Sailing		International Sailing Federation	ISAF	1907	•	•
69	Sambo		Fédération Internationale de Sambo	FIAS	1992
70	Savate		Federation Internationale de Savate	FISav	1992
71	Sepaktakraw		International Sepaktakraw Federation	ISTAF	1988
72	Shooting sport[12]		International Shooting Sport Federation	ISSF	1907	•	•
73	Skating		International Skating Union	ISU	1892	•		•
74	Skiing		Fédération Internationale de Ski	FIS	1924	•		•
75	Ski mountaineering		International Ski Mountaineering Federation	ISMF	2008	•			•
76	Sleddog		International Federation of Sleddog Sports	IFSS	1992
77	Soft tennis		International Soft Tennis Federation	ISTF	1999
78	Sport climbing		International Federation of Sport Climbing	IFSC	2007	•			•	•
79	Sports fishing		Confédération Internationale de la Pêche Sportive	CIPS	1952
80	Squash		World Squash Federation	WSF	1967	•			•	•
81	Sumo		International Sumo Federation	IFS	1992	•			•	•
82	Surfing		International Surfing Association	ISA	1964	•			•	•
83	Table tennis		International Table Tennis Federation	ITTF	1926	•	•
84	Taekwondo		World Taekwondo	WT	1973	•	•
85	Tennis		International Tennis Federation	ITF	1913	•	•
86	Triathlon		International Triathlon Union	ITU	1989	•	•
87	Tug of war		Tug of War International Federation	TWIF	1960	•			•	•
88	Underwater sports		Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques	CMAS	1959	•			•	•
89	Volleyball		Fédération Internationale de Volleyball	FIVB	1947	•	•
90	Waterskiing		International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation	IWWF	1955	•			•	•
91	Weightlifting		International Weightlifting Federation	IWF	1905	•	•
92	Wrestling		United World Wrestling	UWW	1912	•	•
93	Wushu		International Wushu Federation	IWUF	1990	•			•
						72	28	7	37	37

Associate members

Multi-sport events

• 
  Commonwealth Games: Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF)


• 
  Masters Games: International Masters Games Association (IMGA)


• 
  Mediterranean Games: International Committee of Mediterranean Games (ICMG or CIJM)


• 
  Military World Games: Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM)


• 
  World Mind Sports Games: International Mind Sports Association (IMSA)
  
  • 
    SportAccord World Mind Games: International Mind Sports Association (IMSA)
  
  


• 
  Paralympic Games: International Paralympic Committee (IPC)


• 
  School Sports: International School Sport Federation (ISF)


• 
  Special Olympics: Special Olympics (SOI)


• 
  Sports for the Deaf: International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (CISS)


• 
  The World Games: International World Games Association (IWGA)


• 
  Universiade: Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU)


• 
  CSIT World Sports Games: International Labour Sports Federation (CSIT)

Other

• European broadcasting: European Broadcasting Union (EBU / UER)


• 
  Panathlon: Panathlon International (PI)


• 
  Sports chiropractic: Federation Internationale de Chiropratique du Sport (FICS)


• 
  Sports facilities: International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS)


• 
  Sports medicine: International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS)

List of GAISF presidents

Current organizational structure

The SportAccord International Convention

Originally launched in 2003, SportAccord International Convention is a gathering of more than 2,500 leading representatives from the sports industry. It offers its participants an opportunity to come together on a global scale in order to network, build relationships, share knowledge and develop ideas that will benefit the entire community.^[13]

Unlike any other event of its type, SportAccord International Convention is owned and endorsed by the sports movement itself. It was created and is owned by SportAccord, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of International Olympic Winter Federations (AIOWF). Over the past decade, SportAccord International Convention has become one of the key fixtures on the worldwide sporting calendar. It allows associations and the international sports federations to increase efficiency by holding all their annual meetings at the same time and place. It also serves as a commercial platform at which the sports industry can have access to the world governing bodies of sport and their key decision-makers.^[14]

SAIC	Dates	Host City
1st	May 12–16, 2003	Madrid, Spain
2nd	May 15–20, 2004	Lausanne, Switzerland[15]
3rd	April 16–20, 2005	Berlin, Germany
4th	April 3–7, 2006	Seoul, South Korea[16]
5th	April 22–27, 2007	Beijing, China (#1)[17]
6th	June 2–6, 2008	Athens, Greece[18][19][20]
7th	March 23–27, 2009[21][22]	Denver, United States[23][24]
8th	April 20–25, 2010[25]	Dubai, United Arab Emirates[26][27]
9th	April 3–8, 2011[28]	London, United Kingdom[29][30]
10th	May 20–25, 2012[31]	Quebec City, Canada[32][33]
11th	May 26–31, 2013[34]	Saint Petersburg, Russia[35]
12th	April 6–11, 2014[36]	Belek, Turkey[37]
13th	April 19–24, 2015[38]	Sochi, Russia[39]
14th	April 17–22, 2016	Lausanne, Switzerland[40]
15th	April 2–7, 2017	Aarhus, Denmark[41]
16th	April 15–20, 2018	Bangkok, Thailand[42]
17th	May 5–10, 2019	Gold Coast, Australia[43]
18th	April 19–24, 2020	Beijing, China (#2)[44]

See also

• 
  International Olympic Committee (IOC)


• 
  Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF)


• 
  Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF)


• 
  Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF)


• 
  International World Games Association (IWGA)


• List of international sport federations


• World Combat Games


• SportAccord World Mind Games

Notes and references

External links

• Home page


• Official web site of SportAccord Convention