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Global Association of International Sports Federations

Abbreviation	GAISF
Formation	1967
Dissolved	September 14, 2023
Type	Sports organization
Headquarters	Lausanne, Switzerland
Membership	97 full members and 20 associate members.
Official language	English, French
President	Ivo Ferriani
Website	gaisf.sport

Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) was 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. It changed its name to SportAccord from March 2009 to April 2017, when it reverted to its GAISF. It was an international sport organisation with 95 full members (international sports federations governing specific sports worldwide) and 20 associate members (organisations which conduct activities closely related to the international sports federations).

In November 2022, the members of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) voted to dissolve the organisation.

The revised governance structure will see the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) and the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS) join the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) as the four main stakeholders of SportAccord.

Members of the GAISF approved the final steps in the liquidation of the organisation at an extraordinary general assembly held on 14 September 2023.

GAISF Council

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

The council's final composition was:

Designation	Name	Country	Sport Federation
President	Ivo Ferriani	Italy	International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation
Vice-President	Stephan Fox	Germany/ Australia	International Federation of Muaythai Amateur
Treasurer	Riccardo Fraccari	Italy	World Baseball Softball Confederation
Council Members	Marisol Casado	Spain	International Triathlon Union
	Kate Caithness	Scotland/ United Kingdom	World Curling Federation
	Raffaele Chiulli	Italy	International Powerboating Federation
	Nenad Lalović	Serbia	United World Wrestling
	Ingmar De Vos	Belgium	International Equestrian Federation

Function

GAISF was the umbrella organisation for both Olympic and non-Olympic international sports federations, as well as organisers of international sporting events. In this role it provided expertise in, for example, anti-doping, integrity and social responsibility. By establishing multi-sports games that group together similar sports, GAISF aimed to promote the members and the members' visibility.

Membership

Member international federations could be either full or associate members of GAISF.

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 International (UCI), a permanent bureau of the IFs was established to facilitate dialogue with the Olympic authorities.

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.

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 organisation rebranded back to GAISF under its new president Patrick Baumann.

1920s

As early as 1921, under the direction of Paul Rousseau, Secretary General of the “Union Cycliste International”, 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.

On 25 May 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.

On 31 May 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.

On 20 April 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 (now known as World Athletics), the ISSF, and World Archery withdrew from SportAccord in protest, and there were a number of further withdrawals in May 2015, including the International Rowing Federation.

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

By the end of 2018, The World ArmWrestling Federation (WAF) was the new addition to the GAISF Full Member List along with 4 Associate Members – World Olympics Association, International Sports Press Association, World Union of Olympic Cities and World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry.

In May 2019, Raffaele Chiulli was unanimously elected as GAISF President in Gold Coast, Australia.

Member federations at time of dissolution

#	Sport	Logo	Organisation	Acronym	Founded	Membership
						ASOIF	AIOWF	ARISF	AIMS Archived 8 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine
1	Aikido		International Aikido Federation	IAF	1976				•
2	Air sports		World Air Sports Federation	FAI	1905			•
3	American football		International Federation of American Football	IFAF	1998			•
4	Aquatics		World Aquatics	FINA	1908	•
5	Archery		World Archery Federation	WA	1931	•
6	Armwrestling		World Armwrestling Federation	WAF	1977				•
7	Athletics		World Athletics	IAAF	1912	•
8	Automobile racing		Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile	FIA	1904			•
9	Badminton		Badminton World Federation	BWF	1934	•
10	Bandy		Federation of International Bandy	FIB	1955			•
11	Baseball and softball		World Baseball Softball Confederation	WBSC	2013	Associate member		•
12	Basketball		International Basketball Federation	FIBA	1932	•
13	Basque pelota		Federación Internacional de Pelota Vasca	FIPV	1929			•
14	Biathlon		International Biathlon Union	IBU	1993		•
15	Billiard sports		World Confederation of Billiards Sports	WCBS	1992			•
16	Bobsleigh		International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation	IBSF	1923		•
17	Bodybuilding		International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness	IFBB	1946				•
18	Boules		Confédération Mondiale des Sports de Boules	CMSB	1985			•
19	Bowling		International Bowling Federation	IBF	1952			•
20	Boxing		International Boxing Association	IBA	1946	•
21	Bridge		World Bridge Federation	WBF	1958			•
22	Canoeing		International Canoe Federation	ICF	1946	•
23	Casting		International Casting Sport Federation	ICSF	1955				•
24	Cheer		International Cheer Union	ICU	2004			•
25	Chess		International Chess Federation	FIDE	1924			•
26	Climbing & Mountaineering		International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation	UIAA	1932			•
27	Cricket		International Cricket Council	ICC	1909			•
28	Curling		World Curling Federation	WCF	1966		•
29	Cycle Sport		International Cycling Union	UCI	1900	•
30	DanceSport		World DanceSport Federation	WDSF	1957	Associate Member		•
31	Darts		World Darts Federation	WDF	1974				•
32	Dragon Boat		International Dragon Boat Federation	IDBF	1991				•
33	Draughts		World Draughts Federation	FMJD	1947				•
34	Equestrian sports		International Federation for Equestrian Sports	FEI	1921	•
35	Fencing		International Fencing Federation	FIE	1913	•
36	Fistball		International Fistball Association	IFA	1960				•
37	Floorball		International Floorball Federation	IFF	1986			•
38	Flying disc		World Flying Disc Federation	WFDF	1985			•
39	Football		Fédération Internationale de Football Association	FIFA	1904	•
40	Go		International Go Federation	IGF	1982				•
41	Golf		International Golf Federation	IGF	1958	•
42	Gymnastics		International Gymnastics Federation	FIG	1881	•
43	Handball		International Handball Federation	IHF	1946	•
44	Field hockey		International Hockey Federation	FIH	1924	•
45	Ice hockey		International Ice Hockey Federation	IIHF	1908		•
46	Ice stock sport		International Federation Icestocksport	IFI	1975			•
47	Judo		International Judo Federation	IJF	1951	•
48	Ju-Jitsu		Ju-Jitsu International Federation	JJIF	1977				•
49	Karate		World Karate Federation	WKF	1970			•
50	Kendo		International Kendo Federation	FIK	1970				•
51	Kickboxing		World Association of Kickboxing Organisations	WAKO	1976			•
52	Korfball		International Korfball Federation	IKF	1963			•
53	Lacrosse		World Lacrosse	WL	2008			•
54	Lifesaving		International Life Saving Federation	ILS	1993			•
55	Luge		Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course	FIL	1957		•
56	Minigolf		World Minigolf Sport Federation	WMF	1963				•
57	Modern pentathlon		Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne	UIPM	1912	•
58	Motorcycle racing		Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme	FIM	1904			•
59	Muaythai		International Federation of Muaythai Amateur	IFMA	1993			•
60	Netball		International Federation of Netball Associations	IFNA	1960			•
61	Orienteering		International Orienteering Federation	IOF	1961			•
62	Polo		Federation of International Polo	FIP	1983			•
63	Powerboating		Union Internationale Motonautique	UIM	1927			•
64	Powerlifting		International Powerlifting Federation	IPF	1971				•
65	Practical shooting		International Practical Shooting Confederation	IPSC	1976				•
66	Racquetball		International Racquetball Federation	IRF	1950			•
67	Roller sports		World Skate	FIRS	1924	•
68	Rowing		World Rowing	FISA	1892	•
69	Rugby union		World Rugby	WR	1886	•
70	Sailing		World Sailing	WS	1907	•
71	Sambo		Fédération Internationale de Sambo	FIAS	1992			•
72	Savate		Federation Internationale de Savate	FISav	1992				•
73	Sepaktakraw		International Sepaktakraw Federation	ISTAF	1988				•
74	Shooting sport		International Shooting Sport Federation	ISSF	1907	•
75	Skating		International Skating Union	ISU	1892		•
76	Skiing		Fédération Internationale de Ski	FIS	1924		•
77	Ski mountaineering		International Ski and Snowboard Federation	ISMF	2008		Associate Member	•
78	Sleddog		International Federation of Sleddog Sports	IFSS	1992				•
79	Soft tennis		International Soft Tennis Federation	ISTF	1999				•
80	Sport climbing		International Federation of Sport Climbing	IFSC	2007	•
81	Sports fishing		Confédération Internationale de la Pêche Sportive	CIPS	1952				•
82	Squash		World Squash Federation	WSF	1967			•
83	Sumo		International Sumo Federation	IFS	1992			•
84	Surfing		International Surfing Association	ISASurf	1964	•
85	Table tennis		International Table Tennis Federation	ITTF	1926	•
86	Taekwondo		World Taekwondo	WT	1973	•
87	Tennis		International Tennis Federation	ITF	1913	•
88	Teqball		International Federation of Teqball	FITEQ	2017				•
89	Triathlon		International Triathlon Union	ITU	1989	•
90	Tug of war		Tug of War International Federation	TWIF	1960			•
91	Underwater sports		Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques	CMAS	1959			•
92	University Sports		Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire	FISU	1949			•
93	Volleyball		Fédération Internationale de Volleyball	FIVB	1947	•
94	Waterskiing		International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation	IWWF	1955			•
95	Weightlifting		International Weightlifting Federation	IWF	1905	•
96	Wrestling		United World Wrestling	UWW	1912	•
97	Wushu		International Wushu Federation	IWUF	1990			•
						31+2	7+1	39	20

Associate members at time of dissolution

• Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations (APSO)
• 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)
• World Transplant Games Federation (WTGF)
• 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)
• CSIT World Sports Games: International Workers and Amateurs in Sports Confederation (CSIT)

Other members were:

• European broadcasting: European Broadcasting Union (EBU / UER)
• Panathlon: Panathlon International (PI)
• World Olympians Association (WOA)
• 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)
• Sports journalism: International Sports Press Association (AIPS)
• Olympic cities: World Union of Olympic Cities
• Sporting Goods Industry: World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI)

Observers at time of dissolution

The GAISF Observer Status could be requested by the Applicants to GAISF Membership that were interested to obtain support and guidance in their path to fulfil the GAISF Membership Criteria.

List of GAISF presidents

Final organizational structure

SportAccord Convention

→

It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled SportAccord. (Discuss) (August 2024)

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
• SportAccord World Combat Games
• SportAccord World Mind Games

Notes and references

1. "Members". SportAccord – International Federations' Union. 19 July 2013. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
2. ^ "Mission and Vision". GAISF. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
3. "Members approve dissolution of GAISF at Extraordinary General Assembly". GAISF. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
4. "Dissolution of GAISF approved at Extraordinary General Assembly, record attendance of members, next steps clarified". GAISF. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
5. "Ivo Ferriani: The global sports community has secured its future for 2023 and beyond". GAISF. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
6. "Extraordinary General Assembly approves the final liquidation of GAISF". GAISF. 14 September 2023. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
7. "Mission and Vision". Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
8. "Associate Membership" Archived 19 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine. GAISF. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
9. "Welcome to the new GAISF website". GAISF. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
10. "History of SportAccord". SportAccord. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
11. "Federation of International Lacrosse and International Mind Sports Association are new SportAccord Members". SportAccord. 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
12. "International Cheer Union and Federation Internationale de l'Automobile are new SportAccord Members". SportAccord. 31 May 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
13. Livingstone, Robert (20 April 2015). "SportAccord Counts Its Losses After Chief's Attack on Olympics Backfires". GamesBids.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
14. "World Rowing resigns from SportAccord". insidethegames. 20 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
15. "SportAccord changes name to Global Association of International Sports Federations". 7 April 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
16. "Members". ASOIF. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
17. "ASOIF Statutes" (PDF). 9 June 2022. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
18. "Organisational Structure". ASOIF. 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
19. "Members - ARISF Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federation". www.arisf.sport. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
20. ^ The IAAF, ISSF and World Archery Federation withdrew from SportAccord on 20 April 2015.

External links

• Home page. Archived 18 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
• Official website of SportAccord. Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine.

• Sports organizations established in 1967
• International Olympic Committee
• IOC-recognised international federations
• Supraorganizations
• Organisations based in Lausanne
• International sports organisations based in Switzerland