The International World Games Association, abbreviated as IWGA, is an international association, recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), that organises every four years, beginning in 1981, the multi-sport event called The World Games.

History

The IWGA was founded on 21 May 1980 in Seoul, South Korea, as ''World Games Council'' by 12 international sports federations with a worldwide reach that were not yet part of the Olympic Games. The intention was to increase the popularity of the sports represented by these federations. The IWGA was constituted under Swiss law as a non-governmental and non-profit-making organisation. In 1984, the ''World Games Council'' was renamed as the ''International World Games Association''. Since its creation, the number of member federations has increased to 39 with the most recent admissions being the

International Sambo Federation International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and

International Wushu Federation The International Wushu Federation (IWUF) is an international sport organization and is the governing body for wushu in all its forms worldwide. The IWUF is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and is also a member of the AR ...

in May 2021.

Structure

The highest body of the IWGA is the General Meeting. It is chaired by the President. It is composed of representatives from Member Federations, with one vote per federation. General Meetings can be held whenever deemed necessary, but one must be held each year as the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Among other rights, the General Meeting has the power to: * Approve and amend the Constitution * Ratify the selection of the Host City of The World Games * Ratify the selection of the sports, or disciplines of sports, of The World Games * Establish Committees

Membership

Federations that intend to become a full member of the IWGA must be part of the

Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations The Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation constituted through and recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The ARISF's members are international sports ...

( ARISF). Since 2014, IOC recognition has become a prerequisite for International Federations to become a Member of the IWGA. Sports that want to be recognised by the IWGA need to have a worldwide significance but actually must not be in the programme of the Olympic Games.

Affiliate status

Since 2020, Affiliate Status was introduced for full Members of ASOIF and

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. Affiliate status is temporary, and only open to those Federations that are not a Member of the IWGA and feature on the programme of the next edition of The World Games or of other sport events that the IWGA organises.

Member federations

The following international sports federations are members of IWGA.

References

External links

* {{Authority control International International Olympic Committee World Games Organisations based in Lausanne International sports bodies based in Switzerland