Global Association of International Sports Federations

In the early 1960s, many sports federations were unhappy that they had so little influence with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Led by the Frenchman Roger Coulon, president of the Fédération Internationale des Luttes Amateurs (FILA [wrestling]), the International Federations (IFs) banded together in 1967 to form the General Assembly of International Federations (GAIF), later the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), or Association Générale des Fédérations Internationales de Sports (AGFIS). In 2003, the GAISF began holding a yearly convention of sports federations called SportAccord. At the 7th SportAccord Conference in Denver, Colordo (USA) in March 2009, it was elected to rebrand GAISF as SportAccord. However, in April 2017 the name was changed again to the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

The headquarters of GAISF is currently in Monte Carlo. In 2020, there were 96 sports member federations, and 22 Associate Members. Many of these federations govern Olympic sports (38), several were IOC-Recognized federations (33), but 24 of them were not directly affiliated with the IOC and GAISF gives them a small voice within the Olympic Movement. The aims of GAISF were “to act as a forum for the exchange of ideas and for discussion on common problems in sport; to collect, collate, and circulate information; to provide members with secretarial and translating services, the organization of meetings, technical documentation and consultancy; to collect news bulletins, technical rules and regulations from members; to assemble and coordinate the dates of main international competitions; and to publish a half-yearly calendar.”

In 2013 the President of GAISF (then SportAccord) was Marius Vizer of the International Judo Federation. At the 2015 SportAccord convention his opening remarks lambasted the Olympic Movement and many recent moves by IOC President Thomas Bach. In response, numerous federations withdrew from SportAccord. Vizer was forced to resign and was replaced as provisional President by Francesco Ricci Bitti of the International Tennis Federation, with most federations re-joining the group. However, some damage was done to GASIF/SportAccord, as the IOC took steps to subsume its responsibilities under their aegis.

In November 2022, at an extraordinary Congress of GAISF, the group elected to dissolve and distribute its remaining assets to the membership.