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List of international sports federations

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List of international sports federations

This is a list of international sports federations , each of which serves as a non-governmental governing body for a given sport and administers its sport at a world level, most often crafting rules, promoting the sport to prospective spectators and fans, developing prospective players, and organizing world or continental championships. Some international sports federations, such as World Aquatics and the International Skating Union, may oversee multiple activities referred to in common parlance as separate sports: World Aquatics, for example governs swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo as separate "disciplines" within the single "sport" of Aquatics.

International sports federations form an integral part of the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Each Olympic sport is represented by its respective international sports federation, which in turn helps administer the events in its respective sport during the Games. For a sport to become an Olympic sport, its international sports federation must be recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

Likewise, an international sports federation must be recognized by the International Paralympic Committee for its sport to become a paralympic sport, though in the latter case, several Paralympic Sports are governed by a dedicated committee of the International Paralympic Committee itself, under the World Para branding, for example track and field athletics for disabled athletes is governed by the IPC itself, under the name "World Para Athletics". Other Paralympic sports are governed within the structure of the able-bodied equivalent: for example, the UCI governs both able-bodied and paralympic cycling.

International federations may apply to become a full member if they govern a core Summer Olympic sport or govern a sport which featured in the three most recent Summer Olympics. They may apply to become an associate member if they govern a sport included on the programme for future editions of the Summer Olympic Games or govern a sport which has featured in any five editions of the Summer Olympic Games since 1988.

The ARISF's members are international sports federations recognised by the IOC whose sport is currently not competed in either the Summer or Winter Olympics. As of March 2025, 40 governing bodies are members of the ARISF:

Federations whose sports are either included in the Olympic Games (ASOIF, AIOWF) or recognized by the IOC (ARISF) are also stakeholders of SportAccord, after the dissolution of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) in 2023. Other stakeholders of SportAccord (non-IOC recognized) compose the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS).

AIMS is a stakeholder of SportAccord that represents sports federations that were not yet recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As of September 2025, AIMS has 20 full member federations.

As of September 2025, AIMS has 9 associate members.

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