SportAccord

Global Association of International Sports Federations

Global Association of International Sports Federations

Umbrella sports organization

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.[1][2] It changed its name to SportAccord from March 2009 to April 2017 when it reverted to its former name. GAISF 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).[2]

Quick Facts Abbreviation, Formation ...

In November 2022, the members of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) voted to dissolve of the organisation, with many of its activities taken by a restructured SportAccord.[3][4]

The revised governance structure of Sport Accord 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 members of SportAccord.[5]

Members of the GAISF approved the final steps in the liquidation of the organisation at an extraordinary general assembly held on 14 September 2023.[6]

GAISF Council

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

The council's final composition was:

More information Designation, Name ...

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.[7]

Membership

Member international federations could be either full or associate members of GAISF.[8]

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.[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.

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.[9]

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

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.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12]

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,[13] and there were a number of further withdrawals in May 2015, including the International Rowing Federation.[14]

At the 2017 convention in Aarhus, Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) and Federation of International Bandy (FIB) became full members[15] 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

Member federations at time of dissolution

More information #, Sport ...

Associate members at time of dissolution

Other members were:

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.

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List of GAISF presidents

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Final organizational structure

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Summits

Originally launched in 2003, SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit is a gathering of more than 1,500 leading representatives from the sports industry. SportAccord is focused on driving positive change internationally and dedicated to engaging and connecting; international federations, rights holders, organising committees, cities, press and media, businesses and other organisations involved in the development of sport.

SportAccord is a not-for-profit organisation which annually brings together representatives from more than 100 International Sports Federations affiliated with the following umbrella organisations that host their Annual General Assemblies at SportAccord. Our event is an international sport convention hosted over a week, combining an exhibition area, a themed conference programme and a multitude of networking events.

SportAccord’s stakeholders include: ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations), AIOWF (Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations), ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations), AIMS (Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport), GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations, dissolved 2023) and Associate Members. In addition, SportAccord receives the full support of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).[21]

More information SAIC, Dates ...


  • Note 1: The 2020 SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit in Beijing was cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[52]
  • Note 2: The 18th SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit was postponed from November 2021 to May 2022.[53]
  • Note 3: The SportAccord summit in Yekaterinburg was cancelled following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[54]
  • Note 4: GAISF was dissolved on 14 September 2023, prior to the SportAccord summit in Birmingham.

See also

Notes and references

  1. [1]
    "Members". SportAccord – International Federations' Union. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  2. [2]
    "Mission and Vision". GAISF. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  3. [3]
    "Members approve dissolution of GAISF at Extraordinary General Assembly". GAISF. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Dissolution of GAISF approved at Extraordinary General Assembly, record attendance of members, next steps clarified". GAISF. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Ivo Ferriani: The global sports community has secured its future for 2023 and beyond". GAISF. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Extraordinary General Assembly approves the final liquidation of GAISF". GAISF. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  7. [7]
    "Mission and Vision".
  8. [8]
    "Associate Membership". GAISF. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  9. [9]
    "Welcome to the new GAISF website". GAISF. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  10. [10]
    "History of SportAccord". SportAccord. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  11. [11]
    "Federation of International Lacrosse and International Mind Sports Association are new SportAccord Members". SportAccord. 25 May 2012.
  12. [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. [13]
    Livingstone, Robert (20 April 2015). "SportAccord Counts Its Losses After Chief's Attack on Olympics Backfires". GamesBids.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  14. [14]
    "World Rowing resigns from SportAccord". insidethegames. 20 May 2015.
  15. [15]
    SportAccord changes name to Global Association of International Sports Federations
  16. [16]
    "Members". ASOIF. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  17. [17]
    "ASOIF Statutes" (PDF). 9 June 2022. p. 12.
  18. [18]
    "Organisational Structure". ASOIF. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Members - ARISF Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federation". www.arisf.sport. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  20. [20]
    The IAAF, ISSF and World Archery Federation withdrew from SportAccord on 20 April 2015.
  21. [21]
    "What is SportAccord? - SportAccord".
  22. [22]
    "Lausanne To Host 2004 SportAccord Convention" (PDF). SportAccord. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  23. [23]
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  25. [25]
    "Athens hosted the most successful edition of SportAccord". Athens Convention Bureau (English). Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  26. [26]
    "SportAccord 2008 tightens focus on cities". Sport Business. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  27. [27]
    "Athens Hosts Sixth Edition of SportAccord" (PDF). Around the Rings. June 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  28. [28]
    "Sportaccord 2009 Kicks Off in Denver". Around the Rings. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  29. [29]
    "Denver Global Program (in .pdf)" (PDF). SportAccord. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  30. [30]
    "Denver is first North American city to host SportAccord conference". Metro Denver. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  31. [31]
    "Around the Rings Special Edition – SportAccord Denver" (PDF). Around the Rings. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  32. [32]
    "Dubai Global Program (in .pdf)" (PDF). SportAccord. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  33. [33]
    "Dubai to host SportAccord in 2010". Sport Business. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  34. [34]
    "Around the Rings Special Edition – Dubai" (PDF). Around the Rings. April 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  35. [35]
    "Registration opens for 2011 SportAccord Convention in London". london.gov.uk. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  36. [36]
    "London To Host SportAccord Convention". London Press Service. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  37. [37]
    "Around the Rings SportAccord Special Edition" (PDF). Around the Rings. April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  38. [38]
    "SportAccord Convention Selects Iconic Quebec Hotel". Around the Rings. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  39. [39]
    "SportAccord Convention 2012 Awarded to Québec City". Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  40. [40]
    "The ATR SportAccord 2012 Special Edition". Around the Rings. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  41. [41]
    "Saint Petersburg to host 2013 SportAccord Convention". Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  42. [42]
    Around the Rings Special Edition about 2013 SportAccord Convention Archived 28 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  43. [43]
    "SportAccord convention 2013 draws record attendance". Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  44. [44]
    "Conferences Convention – SportAccord 2014 to Turkey". Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  45. [45]
    "Dates for 2015 SportAccord International Convention in Sochi announced". 25 August 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  46. [46]
    "Sochi to host 2015 SportAccord International Convention". 22 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  47. [47]
    "Where Sports Meet". Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  48. [48]
    "SportAccord Convention 2017 awarded to Aarhus in Denmark". 19 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  49. [49]
    "Bangkok awarded 2018 SportAccord Convention". 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  50. [50]
    "Gold Coast to host 2019 SportAccord Summit". 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  51. [51]
    "Birmingham to host 2024 SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit as event returns after five-year absence". 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  52. [52]
    "SportAccord 2020 Cancellation Statement". Around the Rings. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  53. [53]
    "SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit in Ekaterinburg Rescheduled for May 2022". GAISF. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  54. [54]
    "SportAccord summit in Yekaterinburg cancelled following Russian invasion of Ukraine". Inside the Games. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
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